Taking the plunge: recreational water quality guidelines.

During the 1980s, the profile of recreational water quality at Sydney’s beaches caused concern among Sydneysiders. Monitoring of recreational water quality indicated that most Sydney beaches had poor water quality, and this condition was attributed to the disposal of partiallytreated sewage at cliff-face discharges. An epidemiological study conducted in 1989–1990 attempted to determine the prevalence of disease that might have been attributed to the water quality at the time. Since then, major improvements to sewage disposal practices in Sydney have seen corresponding improvements in water quality.