Celebration for clean beaches
Gosford Council held a celebration for clean beaches on January 20 beside Umina Beach Surf Club with games, prizes and a barbecue lunch.
"There are dozens of stormwater outlets along Ettalong Beach, Ocean Beach and Umina Beach, which direct stormwater, and potentially pollutants, from the urban areas onto the beach," said the council's environmental education officer Ms Trish Donnelly.
Gosford Council has installed booms, traps and other devices at stormwater outlets throughout the city, she said.
The program started in 1998 and since then more than 24,000kg of gross pollutants, including cigarette butts, plastic bottles, paper wrappers, sediment, grass clippings, leaves and aluminium cans have been prevented from reaching beaches and waterways.
A Nettech litter net was trialed in 1999-2000 at the outlet from Schnapper Rd, Ettalong.
It captured an average of 58.67 kg of gross pollutants per month until it was vandalised beyond repair.
Similarly, a Pratten steel basket has operated at the outlet from Trafalgar Ave to Ocean Beach since 1999 and captures on average 113.75kg of pollutants per month, "but often also a lot of sand", said Ms Donnelly.
"During large storms, this trap cannot capture all pollutants from the stormwater system."
Council has received a grant from the NSW EPA Stormwater Trust to install further pollution control devices, and also to educate the community about the impact stormwater pollution can have, she said.
A Rocla gross pollutant trap has been installed in the stormwater pipe before it reaches the beach at Schnapper Rd, Ettalong.
This trap will capture 95 per cent of gross pollutants down to a size of 1mm.
In Umina Beach, baskets are being installed in all of the stormwater pits in the main shopping area, in an effort to capture pollutants "at the source", rather than "end of pipe", she said.
This will take some pressure off the current trap at the outlet at Trafalgar Ave.
"It would be better though if these expensive engineering solutions were not required," said Ms Donnelly.
"There are thousands of stormwater outlets throughout Gosford, so it is financially and logistically impossible to install gross pollutant traps at them all."
Over the summer, Council representatives will be visiting beaches and showing people the impact stormwater pollution can have on our beaches.
Ms Donnelly said that stormwater from roads, roofs and gardens carried any in its path to the beach - litter, cigarette butts, dog droppings, detergent, paint, leaves, grease and oil.
"This makes it very unpleasant to swim at the beach after rain, not just for us, but for the sea life too," she said.
She said it was an offence, under the NSW Protection of the Environment Operations Act, 1997 to put anything in a position where it could pollute waters.
This included grass clippings, leaves, detergents from car washing, oil, animal waste, any litter, pesticides and fertilisers.
On-the-spot fines of $750 for individuals and $1500 for corporations applied as well as up to $120,000 and imprisonment for serious offences.
Littering fines were $60 for discarding small items, $200 for littering from a vehicle and $375 for "aggravated littering".
Ms Donnelly said residents could do a number things to help:
*
Use a broom to clean up garden waste rather than a hose, compost leaves or mulch them on the garden.
* Carry a butt bottle for your cigarette butts, or put them in the bin.
* Store liquids in a safe area.
* Cover piles of soil, sand or mulch to stop them washing into drains.
* Carry a bag to pick up your dog droppings and put them in the bin.
* Clean paint brushes over soil.
* Use a natural fertiliser such as compost, use chemicals wisely, and if you must use chemicals: use in moderation. Check the forecast first and don't apply if there is any chance of rain.
* Wash your car on the grass, or at a carwash.
* Properly dispose of oil and other chemicals thorugh chemical collection centres and service stations.
* Don't litter
Press release, January 17