Kingborough’s new mayor has called for an update on water quality at two of the municipality’s busiest beaches, as council staff warn any fix is likely to be expensive.
Mayor Jo Westwood has put forward a notice of motion for Kingborough Council’s meeting on Monday.
It asks for a report on water quality at Blackmans Bay and Kingston Beach, including progress on options to improve the southern end of Blackmans Bay.
“There is strong community interest in seeing this matter addressed and an increasing appetite for action to address the ongoing water quality issues,” Westwood says in her motion.
She says the Blackmans Bay Community Association has been leading advocacy efforts and seeking action from all levels of government.
In response, council staff say they can provide the report but caution “the causes of poor water quality are complex and potential interventions are likely to involve significant cost”.
“Given the range of factors influencing water quality and the long-term nature of recreational water quality assessments, it may also be difficult to reliably demonstrate the effectiveness of individual interventions in the short term,” they say.
The Derwent Estuary Program’s latest annual report rates the middle and southern sections of Blackmans Bay and the northern end of Kingston Beach as poor, based on five seasons of sampling.
No-swim advisories remain in place at Kingston Beach north and at Blackmans Bay south of the playground.
The council’s annual report says three stormwater outfalls at the southern end of Blackmans Bay collect runoff from more than 3,000 properties.
It says the shape of the bay slows water movement, allowing contaminants to remain in shallow water near the shore for longer.
The council says years of testing have found the contamination cannot be traced to a single cause.
It is working with the Derwent Estuary Program, TasWater and the community on possible measures.
The council meets at 5:30pm on Monday. Beach water monitoring for the summer swimming season begins in December.
