THE results of a 12-month beach water quality program shows that Port Fairy is a safe place to swim.

Wannon Water and Moyne Shire Council partnered in the trial where water samples were collected and tested for bacteria to provide information on the level of water pollution at beaches.

The five beaches popular with swimmers and surfers - Golfies, East Beach, The Passage, South Beach and Pea Soup - were monitored between December 2021 and November 2022.

All returned a rating of either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ water quality, indicating the water was safe for swimming, except for one grading of ‘fair’ at East Beach following intense rain in early September.

A ‘fair’ grading indicates that water quality may not be suitable for swimming and beach users should check for signs of pollution before they swim, with this information relayed via the Shire’s website.

The ’fair’ result was likely due to stormwater or catchment run-off into the Moyne River and onto the beaches.

The monitoring program showed that water with any elevated pathogen levels following stormwater pollution quickly returned to a grading of ‘very good’.

Samples were also taken at the mouth of the Moyne River, the edge of the ocean outfall mixing zone where treated wastewater is released, and at stormwater outlets if they were flowing.

Samples taken from the river mouth were all rated as “good”, except for those taken in early September after the rain event when the result was “poor”, indicating that the water quality was probably not suitable for swimming.

A stormwater drain at Ocean Drive was sampled after heavy rain in January, July and September, returning results of ‘fair’ each time.

The samples collected from the edge of the mixing zone all graded in the ‘good’ and ‘very good’ category, except for a sample collected in early September, again following the intense rainfall. This sample returned a category of ‘fair’.

Wannon Water managing director, Andrew Jeffers, said the initiative aimed to increase public confidence following a number of ocean water quality events in 2021 when a brown substance was observed in Port Fairy waters.

“At the time, the Port Fairy Sewage Treatment Plant was operating normally and had no adverse issues and that remains the case today,” Mr Jeffers said.

“The system is doing exactly what it was designed for, to protect public health and the environment.”

Moyne Shire Council director of infrastructure and environment, Edith Farrell, said samples were taken fortnightly during the peak summer period and monthly at other times.

“The trial should help increase the public’s confidence in the quality of our beach water,” she said.