Beachwatch expansion

Published on 25 March 2025

Kiama Council is stepping up our water quality monitoring to cover all seven of our patrolled swimming beaches via the NSW Beachwatch program.

More than 167,000 people visited these swimming beaches in January.

Council and Sydney Water already monitor Jones Beach, Bombo Beach, Werri Beach, Surf Beach and Seven Mile Beach, which recorded Very Good or Good water quality in 2023-24.

We’ve now added Kendalls Beach and Easts Beach, which host holiday parks, to the Beachwatch program.

The entrance of the Minnamurra River has also been added, due to the high number of people swimming there.

Coastal waters can be affected by stormwater outlets and emergency overflows from sewage pumping stations.

They can also be affected by runoff from rural and urban areas which flows into our rivers and estuaries then to the ocean.

The monitoring is done weekly during the swim season (October to April) in accordance with National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines.

Expanding the Beachwatch water quality monitoring program is an action in our new Coastal Management Program (CMP).

Further information:

www.kiama.nsw.gov.au/Council/Projects/Coastal-Management-Program

www.beachwatch.nsw.gov.au/home

Photo: Kendalls Beach - Mark Fitz Photography