2. Keep watch

Overview

A Riverwatch water monitoring program will help us measure change over time, protect existing swimming spots, open new swimming sites and understand what makes water quality change over time.

Recommendation

Agree and progress the establishment of the Riverwatch monitoring program for the Parramatta River.

Timeframe

Now.

Lead Agency

Sydney Water.

Current Measure

Number of swim sites being monitored – existing, priority, future swim sites.

Status Swimming Site Manager Water Quality Monitoring Classification of sites
2022-23**
Existing Bayview Park Baths City of Canada Bay Sydney Water Grading Poor* – See RiverWatch predictive modelling.
Existing Cabarita Park beach City of Canada Bay Beachwatch Grading Good*
Existing Chiswick Baths City of Canada Bay Beachwatch Grading Good*
Existing Dawn Fraser Baths Inner West Council Beachwatch Grading Good*
Existing Lake Parramatta City of Parramatta City of Parramatta Advisory – please see Lake Parramatta website
Future site Bedlam Bay Hunter’s Hill Council Sydney Water Grading is Poor
Priority for activation McIlwaine Park City of Canada Bay Sydney Water Grading is Very Poor
Priority for activation Putney Park City of Ryde Sydney Water Grading is Poor

 

Future site Callan Park Inner West Council Beachwatch Grading is Poor

*TBA – To be advised. Not enough water quality data has been collected and assessed in conjunction with sanitary inspections to develop a suitability grade. Raw data for each of these sites is available on request.

**The combined outcome of the microbial water quality assessment along with a sanitary inspection, is a five-level classification Suitability Grading for Recreational Water Bodies, ranging from ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’.

This classification approach for our sites is consistent with the methodology Beachwatch uses. They define ‘Good’ as a ‘Location has generally good microbial water quality and water is considered suitable for swimming most of the time. Swimming should be avoided during and for up to one day following heavy rain at ocean beaches and up to three days at estuarine sites’. And ‘Poor’ as: Location is susceptible to faecal pollution and microbial water quality is not always suitable for swimming. During dry weather conditions, ensure that the swimming location is free of signs of pollution, such as discoloured water, odour or debris in the water, and avoid swimming at all times during and for up to three days following rainfall’.

Sampling for enterococci is carried out on a routine basis every six days during the swim season and monthly in winter. The heavy rainfall and La Nina weather conditions that Sydney has experienced over the last two years has meant that water quality results have declined as a result of pollution washing into the Parramatta River. Our monitoring shows that sites are suitable for swimming three days after rainfall. This allows enough time for the river to naturally flush and the water quality to improve.

 

RiverWatch

RiverWatchTM is Sydney Water’s recreational monitoring and reporting program. It works with councils and other organisations to establish new swim sites and monitor existing sites.

The RiverWatch microbial monitoring program follows the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Guidelines for managing risks in recreational water and the NSW Water Quality Objectives. It is aligned with similar recreational water quality monitoring programs such as Beachwatch to maintain a consistent approach across Sydney.

Water quality at any natural swim site can vary depending on weather, tides and other factors. When you check your local swim site, you’ll see today’s water quality readings. Sydney Water updates the predicted water quality at each swim site every day. Daily swim spot reports come from various reliable sources:

Sydney Water undertakes routine regular monitoring of the sites as well as targeted sampling, for example, after rainfall, to determine the individual site’s recovery time. They measure a number of parameters including enterococci, which can have a significant impact on swimming. These bacteria are excreted in faeces and are rarely present in unpolluted waters. Enterococci have shown a clear dose-response relationship to disease in humans.

Download the RiverWatch Water Quality Monitoring Program fact sheet.

 

Chemical Assessment Program

The Riverwatch chemical assessment program evaluates how chemical contaminants impact river sediment and water quality in the Parramatta River. Sydney Water has developed a framework in conjunction with EnRisk, The University of New South Wales, Sydney Water, NSW Health, NSW EPA, Department of Planning and Environment and swim site councils to assess human health risks from chemical contamination.

Sydney Water has applied enHealth’s Environmental Health Risk Assessment: Guidelines for assessing human health risks from environmental hazards to identify chemical contaminants of concern, understand toxicity and develop an exposure assessment for recreational water activities. This information will inform the sampling program and help to understand any potential risks that may arise from future recreation activities along the river.

Previous sediment and water quality monitoring within the river, and a review of historic land uses near proposed swimming sites, helps Sydney Water in identifying potential chemical contaminants of concern for recreational water users.

Download the RiverWatch Chemical Assessment Program fact sheet.

 

Conceptual Model

The Parramatta River Conceptual Model is a simplified representation of the real world that captures and integrates relevant scientific and other knowledge into a visual form to simplify communication for a wide audience. The conceptual model is divided into dry weather and wet weather which are the two dominant states that affect water quality in the Parramatta River. The pop-out images illustrate the different types of contaminants that affect water quality and swimmability in the Parramatta River.

Download the Parramatta River Conceptual Model – Dry Weather

Download the Parramatta River Conceptual Model – Wet Weather

 

RiverWatch predictive model

RiverWatch is Sydney Water’s environmental monitoring and reporting program that was established to support safe swimming in urban waterways. The RiverWatch predictive model issues daily pollution forecasts for our monitored sites, allowing the public to make informed decisions about when and where to swim.

Models are developed for individual sites by analysing the impact of key environmental factors on the levels of faecal indicator bacteria identified during routine sampling. Once the relationship between environmental changes and pollution is understood, we can determine the health risk from swimming at the site.

Download the RiverWatch Predictive Model fact sheet.

 

Status Update

Assessing recreational water quality in the Parramatta River is an important step in delivering the Parramatta River Masterplan. The Riverwatch microbial monitoring program assesses how microbial contaminants impact water quality in the Parramatta River. Along with the Riverwatch chemical assessment program, it helps inform decisions about proposed swimming sites along the river.

Water quality monitoring Sanitary (site) inspection Chemical assessment Site safety risk assessment Site works
Bayview Park July 2019- present Complete Complete Complete Complete
Bedlam Bay September 2020-present Incomplete Complete Commenced Not started
Callan Park July 2019- present Incomplete Complete Not started Not started
Mcllwaine Park July 2019- present Complete Complete Complete Complete
Putney Park July 2019- present Complete Complete Commenced Not started

Progress Timeline

December 2023 to February 2024

  • Bayview Park Baths predictive model – a recent analysis of model predictions against water quality data collected showed that they matched 85% of the time, within the agreed threshold (and aligning with Beachwatch). As more data is collected at the site, the predictive accuracy of the model will continue to improve.
  • Putney Park predictive model – completed in the last quarter. Sydney Water is monitoring predictions against real world data collected, prior to making it publicly available when City of Ryde opens their site.
  • Bedlam Bay predictive model – still being developed, but on track to be ready before site opening in 2024. Sydney Water is undertaking intensive monitoring including microbial source tracking (using dog and human markers) as well as CCTV of the local network and where required conducting root-cutting and repairs in the sub-catchment.
  • Communication strategy for sediment risks at recreational sites in the Parramatta River: PRCG engaged risk and communications specialist ECF to develop a strategy to communicate the risk associated with swimming/contact with areas that have legacy chemical contamination to a broad audience.
  • ECF presented on the strategy and collateral to be developed to the Swim Site Activation Technical Working Group in early December.
September to November 2023

  • Assessments of swimmability at existing and new swim sites completed for 22/23 swim season.
  • Finalising State of the River Report.
June to August 2023

  • Riverwatch water quality monitoring ongoing.
  • Operationalisation of predictive model on track to support reporting on new swim sites through PRCG interactive map in 2023.
  •  Our Living River website updated.
March – May 2023

  • RiverWatch water quality monitoring ongoing.
December 2022 – February 2023

  • RiverWatch water quality monitoring ongoing.
  • Our Living River website updated.
September – November 2022

  • RiverWatch water quality monitoring ongoing.
  • Operationalisation of predictive model on track to support reporting on new swim sites through PRCG interactive map in 2022/23.
  • Our Living River website updated.
June – August 2022

  • RiverWatch water quality monitoring ongoing.
  • Operationalisation of predictive model on track to support reporting on new swim sites through PRCG interactive map in 2022/23.
March – May 2022

  • Water quality monitoring ongoing. 
  • Good progress on hosting and operationalising models within Sydney Water, to be completed by September 2022.  
September 2021 – February 2022

  • Water quality monitoring ongoing. 
  • Progress on predictive modelling. All milestones have been met and delivery of models expected by March 2022. 
  • Work progressing on hosting and operationalising models within Sydney Water, to be completed by September 2022. 
June – August 2021

  • Water quality monitoring ongoing.
  • Progress made on predictive modelling. All milestones have been met and delivery of models expected by March 2022.
  • Work is progressing on hosting and operationalising models within Sydney Water, to be completed by September 2022.
  • EnRisk engaged by Ryde and Hunter’s Hill Councils to undertake chemical sampling and develop Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA).
  • HHRA for Bayview Park, Callan Park and McIlwaine Park completed. Waiting on sign-off from Swim Site Activation Technical Working Group.
March – May 2021

  • Intensive water quality monitoring occurring to provide data for predictive model on wet weather impacts and recovery.
  • Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) for Callan Park, Bayview Park and McIlwaine Park completed.
  • Updated interactive map complete and will be transferred to site two weeks prior to first site activation.
December 2020 – February 2021

  • Intensive water quality monitoring occurring to provide data for predictive model on wet weather impacts and recovery.
  • Results of microbial source tracking not showing human markers in samples.
  • HHRA for Callan Park completed. Based on swim site design, there are no issues of concern.
September – November 2020

  • City of Ryde has confirmed $37k funding to complete a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA).
  • Hunter’s Hill Council added Bedlam Bay to the list of priority swim sites.
  • Four priority swimming sites currently being monitored on a weekly basis.
  • Hunter’s Hill, City of Canada Bay and Inner West Councils have engaged EnRiskS/Geochemical Assessments to conduct HHRA.
  • Microbial Source Tracking some samples assessed.
  • Riverwatch interactive map completed and will be launched in early 2020 prior to the opening of the Bayview Park swim site.
  • Dawn Fraser Baths predictive water quality model completed.
  • Dan Bradley from Sydney Water presented on Riverwatch at the Riverfest 2020 webinar on Swimming in the Parramatta River.
June – August 2020

  • Progressed development of a Riverwatch page on the Our Living River website, allowing us to inform the community when a site is suitable for swimming. The page will be launched in October 2020.
  • Developed branding for communication and marketing of the Riverwatch program.
  • Engaged EnRisk to complete the Human Health Risk Assessment for Bayview Park and McIlwaine Park.
  • Commenced microbial source tracking in July to identify source of microbial contaminants in river.
March – May 2020

  • EnRisk has developed a Human Health Risk Assessment Framework that has been approved by NSW Health, DPIE EES and the swim site activation technical working group. This will allow us to commence the chemical sampling for the next three priority sites.
  • Engaged a web developer to create a Riverwatch page on the Our Living River site which will allow us to inform the community when a site is suitable for swimming.
  • Developing branding for communication and marketing of the Riverwatch program.
December 2019 – February 2020

  • Target microbial monitoring program (regular monitoring ongoing) at the three sites has been completed.
  • MOU with UNSW established to develop a predictive model and commenced analysis of water quality data.
  • Work with Digital Business Department within Sydney Water has commenced to build stage one of the website.
September – November 2019

  • Water quality monitoring for microbial contaminants (e.g. enterococci) is continuing for Putney Park, McIlwaine Park and Bayview Park (new swimming sites). So far water quality is good during dry weather and recovery after rain is between 2-3 days depending on rainfall.
  • UNSW provided results from chemical analysis of water and sediments at Callan Park. These will be reviewed by NSW health, EPA, OEH and Inner West Council.
  • UNSW is developing a proposal to undertake the chemical analysis for the three new swim sites following a similar process at Callan Park.
  • Planning commenced on developing an external facing website to clearly communicate the Riverwatch program and progress towards swimming in the River.
June – August 2019

  • Pictorial conceptual model completed for Parramatta River to illustrate the current understanding of contaminants and exposure pathways in the Parramatta River (to be presented at meeting).
  • Water quality monitoring for microbial contaminants (i.e. enterococci) commenced for Putney Park, McIlwaine Park and Bayview Park swimming sites.
  • Riverwatch program fact sheets developed.
  • UNSW analysing results from chemical analysis of water and sediments at Callan Park.
March – May 2019

  • Beachwatch monitoring is ongoing at Callan Park.
  • Sanitary inspection of Callan Park completed.
  • Chemical analysis of water and sediments at Callan Park has commenced.
  • Pictorial conceptual model is being prepared for Parramatta River to illustrate the current understanding of contaminants and exposure pathways in the Parramatta River.
  • Water quality monitoring plan under development for new swim sites at Putney Park, McIlwaine Park and Bayview Park.

Useful Links