The cleanest and dirtiest beaches in Melbourne

The EPA’s forecasts show the lowest-ranked beaches were close to river mouths or large drains, making them more susceptible to stormwater pollution.

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Sally Gibson, a spokesperson for the activists, argues the EPA beach tests – which graded Elwood beach as good 64 per cent of the time this summer – should also include microplastics and chemicals.

Gibson shared privately conducted water and sediment tests from near the mouth of Elwood canal, taken in March last year, that appeared to show elevated levels of trace metals and chemicals like mercury.

“When I saw these results, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I’ve lived nearby for 38 years, and I’m now thinking, ‘Oh my God, that is a real sewer.’”

But Oliver Jones, a professor of chemistry at RMIT University, who disclosed he had received research funding from Melbourne Water previously, examined the private test results and cautioned that they did not necessarily indicate a health risk, as human exposure was limited.

“If you’ve got soil in your back garden, it’s quite different to sediment sitting at the bottom of a stream. They’re not eating the sediment or growing vegetables in it,” he said.

“It looks what you pretty much expect from a highly urbanised creek’s sediment and water, particularly one at the bottom end of the catchment, [where] it’s got everything coming from upstream through it.

“Obviously, you can always do better, but you never get a perfectly pristine stream when you’ve got people living around it.”

The Elwood Canal Action Team also claimed that Melbourne Water was not doing enough to remove rubbish. The group regularly walks down the canal’s concrete embankments to scoop up plastic.

John Woodland, the head of south-eastern waterway and catchment services at Melbourne Water, said the organisation had worked with Glen Eira Council to employ a litter officer to consult the community and “implement a whole of catchment action plan for Elster Creek”.

“Melbourne Water currently invests more resources in litter management around Elster Creek than any other location in Melbourne,” he said.

“Through regular contact with the Elwood community group, we are now doubling our litter clean-ups, with our teams removing litter and debris weekly. There are already two litter traps in Elwood Canal, and we are preparing to install a new floating litter boom later this year.

“We all have a part to play to keep our creeks healthy and safe. Whilst we’re taking action to clean up the creek, the litter that ends up in our waterways ultimately comes from the streets.”

Mark Taylor, the EPA’s chief environmental scientist, said drier weather had broadly improved the bay’s water quality this year, as less rain meant reduced stormwater run-off from in-land and urban areas. That limited the prevalence of pollutants such as animal faeces around beaches, he said.

“Fluctuations in water quality are driven by natural processes and enhanced by humanity,” Taylor said.

“Cities where they’ve got beaches on their edges, you’re always going to be in a situation where, after rain events, you will have pollutants flushed through the system and out into the ocean.”

While he “wouldn’t fancy swimming in the Yarra” and suggested beachgoers monitor the EPA’s forecasts, Taylor said the bay remained largely safe, as more polluted urban waterways diluted upon entering the ocean.

“Use your common sense, but the water quality in the bay, much of the time, is more than adequate for swimming,” he said.

“So go and enjoy it. We’re lucky to have that. The access to the city is incredible.”

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