Ballina Shire Council tests the quality of the water you use in your homes and businesses as well as water at some beaches and swimming areas. This includes:

  • drinking water 
  • recycled water 
  • treated wastewater discharged to waterways
  • water at popular swimming spots

The quality of our drinking water and treated wastewater must meet national and state guidelines.

Click here for more information on the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines

BEACHWATCH

Ballina Shire Council is proud to be involved in the NSW Beachwatch program which provides the public with information about the quality of water in local swimming areas. 

Beachwatch is run by the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage and monitors the quality of popular waterways in NSW. 

In Ballina Shire we test the water quality of six popular swimming spots every week between November and March:

  • Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head
  • Seven Mile Beach, Lennox Head
  • Shelly Beach, Ballina
  • Lighthouse Beach, Ballina
  • Shaws Bay, Ballina
  • The Serpentine, Ballina

WHAT DO WE TEST FOR?

We test to see if swimming spots are polluted with faecal material from animals and humans which can pose a health risk for swimmers.

We also monitor Lake Ainsworth for outbreaks of blue-green algae.

stars icon  The results give a “star” rating:

4 stars = good     3 stars = fair     2 stars = poor     1 star = bad