Between October-November 2022, parts of Victoria received rainfall three to four times higher than the monthly median, leaving large areas of the state flooded, with many people displaced from their homes. As flood warnings started to be lifted and weather started to warm up, people wanted to use rivers and lakes for recreational activities. As river flows were still high, EPA started to receive requests from the community about whether rivers were safe for recreational use.
EPA was tasked with monitoring water quality at 25 sites in flooded areas and communicating results to the community. Analyses included E. coli and enterococci (indicators of faecal contamination) and many chemicals. Results indicated that chemicals levels were not of concern but, levels of E. coli and enterococci generated anxiety amongst recreational users.
As weather conditions improved, people were keen to enjoy water-based recreational activities. There was no guidance or literature on assessing recreational waters during and after floods. This prompted EPA to design a decision framework to alleviate the burden of monitoring and communicate health risks to users of water bodies.
EPA now has a decision making framework for guiding when to sample, and providing advice on recreational use during and post floods. This is a useful tool for EPA and other organisations monitoring recreational water quality as floods may become more regular during times of the year when people want to swim or do other recreational activities.