New South Wales’ beaches have received their annual report cards and while grades are mostly strong — with 84 per cent of beaches monitored rated good or very good — three popular beaches have been downgraded.
The results are a slight improvement from last year where 83 per cent of swimming sites achieved high ratings, but several beaches have held onto their poor ratings or worsened.
Water quality was impacted by significant rainfall during over the past year including the wettest March in Sydney since 1975.
On the central coast, two popular beaches — Terrigal Beach and Avoca Beach — were given a poor rating for the third year in a row.
Malabar Beach also remained stable at a poor rating, with stormwater from significant rainfall events also impacting water quality.
The always popular Coogee Beach has finally cracked a ‘good’ grade after being on the threshold between poor and good for three years.
The impacts of rainfall affect this beach much more than others, with elevated bacteria regularly measured following low levels of rainfall.
"It is so much better today than the bad old days of a generation ago where the quality of our water was much lower," she said.
"It is because of this report, because of our baseline data [which gives] government and community the opportunity to address the issues."