A Message from the Friends of Samphire Cove

What are you doing this coming Sunday morning? The Friends of Samphire Cove invite you to help them with their planting. Coordinator Barry Small says: "Nicole from DPaW is bringing the same amount of plants as last month - if we get them all in that’ll be over a thousand this season (so far). Planting will take place from 9 am till 10.30 am then as usual we'll have our BYO morning tea.
Please bring a trowel/small shovel or other soil loosening implement and some gloves. Be good to see you on Sunday."
For more information about Samphire Cove please click here.

The Port Mandurah Specified Area Rate (SAR) contributes to the City of Mandurah’s Environmental Health Service's monitoring of the quality of its recreational waters at designated sampling sites; along its coastline, canal waterways, Harvey Estuary and the Peel Inlet. The aim of this monitoring program is to determine the suitability of the City’s recreational waters for activities such as boating and swimming, not to mention the importance to fishing and crabbing. There are 16 designated monitoring sites along the coastline of Mandurah from Madora Bay to Tim’s Thicket along with 13 designated monitoring sites within the canals, Peel Inlet and the estuary. A total of 923 water samples were collected from the monitoring sites as part of this program from July 2010 to June 2013. Two of the sites that have direct significance to Port Mandurah are located near Aztec Island and near the Monterey Apartments. However, the other sites are important to consider especially the Hall Park site. 6% of the samples (or 4 in 64 samples) collected at Hall Park and 2-3% of samples at Halls Parade Beach and Town Beach exceeded the maximum recommended number of enterococci organisms.

However, all of the designated sampling sites met the median microbiological guidelines provided by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, 1992.
99% of samples met the ANZECC 1992 microbiological guidelines. The yearly average pH and Dissolved Oxygen measured in the inland waterways met the national recreational water quality guidelines. The nutrients (Total Nitrogen, Filterable Reactive Phosphorus and Total Phosphorus) in the inland waterways generally met the national guidelines for aquatic ecosystems during dry spells. However, samples taken during or post heavy rains generally exceeded the local nutrient guidelines.

A vital part of the program is to monitor disease-causing micro-organisms (pathogens) that can cause a wide variety of infections, such as gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. Enterococciare indicator micro-organisms used to assess health risks associated with pathogens or disease-causing micro-organisms in recreational waters and the presence of these organisms is usually associated with faecal contamination by sewage spills, failing septic systems, domestic animals (e.g. dogs) and wildlife.

Alkaline and acidic waters may cause eye and skin irritation and may affect the taste of water. It is recommended that waters used for primary recreation should be in the pH range of 6.5 – 8.5. Also the dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in water. Monitoring oxygen levels helps to assess whether estuarine and coastal waters are receiving excess nutrients which may affect cyanobacterial growth. Cyanobacteria are of public health concerns because some types produce toxins that can have harmful effects to humans. Low levels of oxygen concentrations allow the growth of nuisance organisms, causing taste and odour problems, including the formation of hydrogen sulphide. Oxygen concentrations greater than 80% saturation should prevent such problems.

Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are natural elements in the environment that are essential for plant and animal growth, maintenance and reproduction. The contamination of water by too much nitrogen and phosphorus can have an adverse effect on our recreational waters such as toxic algal blooms. Excess nutrients enter waterways by fertilizer runoff from agricultural areas, gardens and urban storm water drains. Algal blooms occur when algae increase to such large number that they colour the water and form visible thick scum. Algal blooms have negative effects on the aesthetic of a water body, dissolved oxygen and other aquatic organisms. Some algae produce toxins that can affect mammalian gastrointestinal tract, liver, nervous system and skin.

The results of this ongoing monitoring are encouraging, but PMRA still would like to again commend all our residents to consider the water quality of our canals and limit the use of fertilizer and overwatering. The water is the reason most of us chose to live here and let’s keep up the good work. 

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