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Tuesday 1 November 2022
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au STORMS on Friday caused this yacht Goldfinger, with number 007, to be washed up on the beach in Mornington Harbour.
Wind brings down trees, grounds yacht WILD winds played havoc with yachts on the Mornington Peninsula over the past week, with several ripped from their moorings and washed ashore. One boat that broke away from its moorings at Mornington on Saturday had to be towed away on a truck, but was in “repairable” condition, according to Mornington Yacht Club spokesman Peter Davey. He said the dangerous conditions strengthened the case for a safe harbour at Mornington. Reaching up to 143kph in some parts of Victoria’s south east, the winds have also brought downs trees and kept emergency services busy for days. Hastings volunteers are urging drivers to take care on the roads, as many trees were downed overnight on Sunday 30 October. The emergency service has been inundated with calls reporting flooding and damage across the peninsula.
Pictures: Gary Sissons (main) and Glenys Slade (inset)
Health risks at bay and ocean beaches Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au SWIMMING at beaches on the Mornington Peninsula is off limits until further notice after heavy rain has caused poor water quality. The Environment Protection Authority says all Port Phillip beaches are currently unsuitable for swimming, fishing or other recreational activity. Meanwhile, signs remain in place warning against any contact with the water at Gunnamatta. The signs erected by Melbourne
Water two weeks ago say, “local water has been impacted by a recent incident” and people and pets should avoid any contact until the signs are removed (“Signing up to save environment” The News 18/10/22). Satellite images from 17 October show brown stormwater flooding into Port Phillip after recent storms, with more heavy falls over the weekend. Stormwater pollution is the major issue facing the bay and its inhabitants, as it is can be contaminated with sediment, nutrients, toxins, chemicals and litter. EPA forecasts are based on rain, water quality history, sunlight, weekly
sampling, and pollution reports. The authority monitors recreational water quality at 36 beaches in Port Phillip. The authority advises against swimming for up to 48 hours after heavy rain as there may be a higher risk of illness to swimmers from increased bacterial levels. Heavy rain and storms are highest risk to the public when they follow extended periods of dry weather as the “first flush” of the stormwater system carries most of the pollution that has built up in the drains into the bay. Clean Ocean Foundation CEO John Gemmill predicted that warnings against polluted waters over the Cup
weekend “may well become increasingly regular events”. The advice from Melbourne Water is not to engage in any recreational activities including swimming and surfing at or near Gunnamatta, which is part of Mornington Peninsula National Park. “Poorly treated waste has been dumped near the popular surfing beach, making the coastline and its waters unsafe for the past two weeks,” Gemmill said. “Heavy rains that caused flooding in Melbourne also caused the Eastern Treatment Plant [near Bangholme] to fail. The plant processes sewage from more than half of Melbourne’s population.”
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Gemmell said polluted beaches could become more common as Melbourne’s population was set to double by 2050 “and the impacts of climate change to increase in severity”. “Is this to be the future of our beaches – dumping grounds for human waste when waste water treatment fails? “Without a major commitment to upgrade our waste water infrastructure, these events will damage our precious marine environment, state’s reputation for clean beaches, tourism as well as the health and wellbeing of its recreational users.” With Keith Platt