Dangerous pollution levels impact NSW’s Terrigal Beach

An investigation has confirmed one of NSW’s most popular beaches is flooded with "very dangerous" levels of human faeces every time it rains.

Researchers have found that after heavy rain events, the bacteria level of human faeces in the water at Terrigal Beach on the NSW Central Coast is dramatically high.

Although the NSW Government is investigating the pollution as an issue of "grave concern", a solution to the pollution at the popular beach will not be fixed before summer.

On several occasions this year Central Coast Council has been forced to close Terrigal Beach, the Haven and the Lagoon after rain events, due to a surge of bacteria in the water, detected as part of the Terrigal Catchment Audit.

Now, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), have determined human faeces are infiltrating the water through old drainage infrastructure and illegal sewerage connections.

Data collected in June found that during wet conditions the sewage signature in the stormwater discharge grew by over 100 times - rising to a level that poses a very high risk to human health.

Local state member, Adam Crouch told the ABC “after heavy rain events the bacteria level of human faeces is dramatically high in the Terrigal waterway, especially around the beach itself and the main pipe coming out coming out at the southern end of the beach.”

The presence of enterococci bacteria in the water can cause a range of illnesses, including gastroenteritis, flu-like illnesses, dermatitis, nose and throat infections as well as urinary tract infections.

Crouch advised “the next step is to determine the source, because it's mainly human and many times higher than the safe limit.

"Trying to track that down is a huge job, as you can imagine, testing single house's sewer and water pipes."

Crouch said he had spoken to the Council and he said the NSW Government stood ready to work "hand in glove with them to make sure we deliver the best possible outcome as quickly as possible".

He added “there are a lot of older homes in Terrigal that were built many many years ago and there may be sewer systems that weren't hooked up correctly in the first place.

"Maybe they were hooked up into the stormwater system rather than the sewer system and that could be where this effluent is coming from."

The Central Coast Council and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment are now working on determining the location of the illegal sewerage connection.