By ANNA USHER

A funding cut by the NSW Government has left the health and safety of lower north shore swimmers at risk, shifting water quality monitoring costs to local councils.

Mosman Collective can reveal that the Beachwatch program will stop testing local waters for contaminants like faecal matter from July 1.

North Sydney and Mosman Councils have been informed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) that to continue to participate in the service, they will need to sign on as a “program partner” and fund the water testing services themselves.

Since 1989, Beachwatch has measured pollution and sewage levels at four Mosman LGA beaches: Balmoral Baths, Clifton Gardens, Chinamans Beach and Edwards Beach.

Other lower north shore spots include Northbridge Baths, Clontarf Beach, Gurney Crescent Baths in Seaforth and Hayes St Beach in Neutral Bay.

All sites are tested monthly from May to September and weekly from October to April.

Mosman Collective understands three options have been given to councils from the Department of Planning and Environment for the new “partnership program”.

The councils can monitor the water quality themselves, collect samples and send them to the DPE for testing, or have the full testing service, which has been free until now.

Mosman Council said managing water quality on local beaches will cost ratepayers about $13,600 a year, while in North Sydney LGA, the estimated annual cost would be $11,500.

“This represents another case of the State Government cost shifting to local councils,” a Council spokesperson told Mosman Collective.

“The Beachwatch program has monitored and reported on water quality at swim sites in the Mosman local government area for the past 30 years.

“The program has been at no cost to local government, and now the State Government wants to change that to a fee-for-service arrangement.”

Member for North Shore, Felicity Wilson, whose electorate covers several tidal pools and beaches set to be impacted, said she was “dismayed” by the Labor Government’s “short-sighted decision to slash funding”.

“The former NSW Liberal Government committed an extra $18.5 million in our last budget to allow Beachwatch to be expanded,” Ms Wilson said, “ensuring the health and safety of our coastal areas and the community.”

“We should support initiatives that promote safe and clean beaches, not cut them.”

Opposition Environment spokeswoman Kellie Sloane said the attempt to cut spending for Sydney’s main beaches was a “crappy decision”.

“The Labor government is again betraying coastal NSW communities,” she said.

University of Sydney Civil Engineering Professor Stuart Khan said forcing councils to pay would be the “nail in the coffin” for the Beachwatch program and could destroy Sydney’s reputation for having “clean beaches”.

“That’s a major part of our drawcard as a destination for people to come and have holidays,” he said.