Glenelg Beach

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Introduction

Glenelg Beach is a popular beach on Adelaide's metropolitan coast. The surrounding land is heavily urbanised. The jetty is close to the Glenelg wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), the Patawalonga Basin, the Barcoo outlet and numerous stormwater drains, all of which can adversely affect water quality. >> More

>> More on Adelaide's metropolitan beaches

Water quality assessment

Water quality at Glenelg Beach is assessed as being in good, moderate or poor condition by interpreting water chemistry and algal data. >> More

Water quality classification for April to September 2006

Indicator	Ecosystem	Recreation	Aquaculture
Ammonia	Good	NA	Good
Oxidised Nitrogen	Good	NA	NA
Total Nitrogen	Good	NA	NA
Total Phosphorus	Good	NA	NA
Turbidity	Good	Good	NA
Chlorophyll (a)	Poor	NA	NA
Heavy Metals	Poor	NA	Good
Bacteria	NA	Good	NA

Notes NA = not applicable

The water quality monitoring results for this period were generally consistent with previous seasonal results for this site.

Chlorophyll (a) was classified as poor at Glenelg. This is most likely due to nutrient-rich discharges from the Glenelg WWTP, urban stormwater and from the Torrens River. Increased nutrients promote algal growth, particularly during the warmer months.

Heavy metals were classified as poor (copper). The source of the elevated heavy metals is most likely general urban runoff (stormwater) washing off roads and galvanised iron roofs into the marine environments during rain events. In July 2006, a new analytical method for heavy metals was introduced, which can detect metals at much lower concentrations in seawater than before. It is now possible to confidently compare concentrations to National Water Quality Guidelines for marine waters.

>> Archived results

Download water quality graphs

• Ammonia at Glenelg
  
• Oxidised Nitrogen at Glenelg
  
• Total Nitrogen at Glenelg
  
• Total Phosphorus at Glenelg
  
• Turbidity at Glenelg
  
• Chlorophyll (a) at Glenelg
  
• Cadmium at Glenelg
  
• Copper at Glenelg
  
• Mercury at Glenelg
  
• Lead at Glenelg
  
• Nickel at Glenelg
  
• Zinc at Glenelg
  
• Enterococci at Glenelg

Download water quality data

• Water Quality at Glenelg Beach

Is the water quality at Glenelg Beach safe to swim?

The EPA provides a monthly update (fortnightly in summer) on beach water quality which details if the water during the past two weeks was safe to swim. >> More

What is being done to improve the condition of Glenelg beach

The EPA established the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study in 2001 in response to concerns about the decline in coastal water quality. This study is expected to be completed at the end of 2006. The study will hopefully answer the main questions we have about coastal waters, including how to rehabilitate the seagrass and reef ecosystems.

Reports

Gulf St Vincent Metropolitan Bathing Waters - Report No 1 (493KB) Nov 1997
Gulf St Vincent Metropolitan Coastal Waters - Report No 2 (1.7MB) Jan 2004
Water Quality of Adelaide's Metropolitan Coastal Waters - a community summary (776KB) (This brochure summarises the Gulf St Vincent Report No. 2)

This page was last modified 22-04-2008