Glenelg North Beach

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Introduction

Glenelg North Beach is south of the Holdfast Bay boat ramp and breakwaters. The surrounding land is heavily urbanised and this beach directly receives discharges from the Barcoo outlet. It is also close to the Glenelg wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the Patawalonga Basin. >> More

>> More on Adelaide's metropolitan beaches

Water quality assessment

Water quality at Glenelg North 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	Poor	NA	Good
Oxidised Nitrogen	Moderate	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.

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

Both oxidised nitrogen and total phosphorus have been quite high in the past, however in recent years concentrations have declined. This decline may be in response to the upgrade of the Glenelg WWTP.

Most of the classifications are consistent with previous results, however bacterial concentrations can be elevated at times. This is likely to be due to the input of stormwater from the Barcoo outlet and urban stormwater drains in the area.

Heavy metals were classified as poor (copper and zinc). 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 North
  
• Oxidised Nitrogen at Glenelg North
  
• Total Nitrogen at Glenelg North
  
• Total Phosphorus at Glenelg North
  
• Turbidity at Glenelg North
  
• Chlorophyll (a) at Glenelg North
  
• Cadmium at Glenelg North
  
• Copper at Glenelg North
  
• Mercury at Glenelg North
  
• Lead at Glenelg North
  
• Nickel at Glenelg North
  
• Zinc at Glenelg North
  
• Enterococci bacteria at Glenelg North

Download water quality data

• Water Quality at Glenelg North Beach

Is the water quality at Glenelg North Beach safe to swim?

The EPA provides a monthly update (fortnightly in summer) on beach water quality. >> More

What is being done to improve the condition of Glenelg North 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 and is designed to 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 31-07-2007