Rain a blow to beach water quality
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Five of the Mornington Peninsula’s Port Phillip beaches are ranked in the top 10 for water quality by Environment Protection Authority Victoria. Top of the 36-beach list for having the best water quality over summer was Santa Casa, followed closely by Easter, The Dell and Portarlington – all beaches on the Bellarine peninsula. Portsea and Rosebud came in at equal five, up from eight the previous summer. Overall, water quality at the bay’s beaches was rated good throughout summer, except after large rain events which produced days when swimming should not take place. Brighton came in as the worst of 36 bay beaches checked by the EPA. The beach was adversely affected after a sewage leak in a nearby street which triggered poor water quality for seven days in a row. The EPA’s chief environmental scientist Dr Andrea Hinwood said water quality was “fairly even across locations”. “Whatever contaminants wash off the streets of Melbourne in a rain storm wind up in the bay, bringing with them the risks of infections, stomach upsets and skin irritation,” she said. Contaminants washing into the bay included animal droppings, litter, plastics, cigarette butts and detergents. “There are several things you can do about that: don’t litter, be careful what you allow to wash into the gutters and stormwater drains in your street and check the Yarra and Bay website before you hit the beach,” Dr Hinwood said. One other common cause of poor water quality is algae, which occurs naturally in the bay and varies according to conditions. “We advise people to avoid swimming near stormwater or river outlets for 24 to 48 hours after heavy rain, because that’s when animal droppings and other contaminants are washed into the bay from beaches and streets,” Dr Hinwood said.
ALLEGATIONS that an electrician and apprentice were kicked off a work site in Frankston for not being union members will be heard at the Federal Court. The Australian Building and Construction Commission has begun legal proceedings against the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, alleging that two workers employed by a solar electrical subcontractor were prevented from working at the site of the Monash Peninsula Student Accommodation Project. The ABCC filed a statement of claim alleging that the two workers were approached by a CFMMEU official on 13 September 2018, who told them to get off the site when the workers revealed they were not part of a union. It is alleged the two workers were prevented from working on the site that day. The ABCC is alleging contraventions of the Fair Work Act.
Time to register pets
WHILE sometimes it doesn’t always appear to be a place for a leisurely swim, Safety Beach is in the top 10 beaches on Port Phillip for having good quality water over the past summer.
Ranked 10th on the EPA’s water quality list (with last summer’s ranking in brackets) were Carrum (19), Mt Martha (11) and Safety Beach, 10 (5). Other rankings were Sorrento 15 (5); Dromana 16 (8); Blairgowrie 17 (11); Canadian Bay 18 (19); Rye 18 (17); Frankston near the lifesaving
LOIS H. DENNINGTON Certified Practising Accountant
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club 23 (26); Mornington 26 (31); Beaumaris 28 (17); Frankston near the coast guard 28 (26); Seaford 30 (19). Beach reports will reopen for next summer on 1 December. Check EPA forecasts for water quality at swimming spots by visiting www.yarraandbay.vic.gov.au Keith Platt
Pet registration renewals for cats and dogs on the Mornington Peninsula are due by Wednesday 10 April. It costs $41.50 a year to register a desexed dog and cat. Discounts apply for pension card holders. The fine for not registering your dog or cat with the shire is $322. For first time animal registrations, once registration fees have been paid, pet owners are issued with a lifetime identification disc to attach to the pet's collar. Dog or cat owners should notify the shire of any change of address or if pet no longer lives with them or is dead at mornpen.vic.gov.au/ animalchanges or by calling 1300 850 600. To change a pet’s microchip details visit car. com.au/updating-registry-records Pet renewals can be done online, over the phone and in person. Details mornpen.vic.gov. au/petregistration.
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2 April 2019
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