Parramatta is now home to Sydney’s first live water-quality monitoring buoy following the installation of the floating device at Lake Parramatta.
The state-of-the-art solar-powered monitoring buoy operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, taking real time water quality readings including temperature, pH levels and dissolved oxygen, and assists in the detection of blue-green algae.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor, Martin Zaiter said the installation was about ensuring Lake Parramatta remains in top condition for swimmers while improving the health of waterways.
“Lake Parramatta has grown in popularity for swimmers looking for a quiet natural waterway to cool off in the summer months, and we want to ensure swimmers are aware of the water quality – especially after heavy rain – before they take a dip,” Lord Mayor Zaiter said.
“Information gathered by the buoy is updated on Council’s website in real time, so you can be confident a day out swimming in the lake will be an enjoyable experience.”
The new yellow buoy, named ‘Sunny’ after a community naming competition, is located just outside the swimming area and adds to Parramatta’s stringent water quality testing regime, which currently involves taking regular samples from five separate points in the lake.
“We’re committed to our natural environment, implementing innovative, sustainable solutions like this to become an unrivalled river city in line with our Parramatta 2050 vision.”
“We are proud to be the first in western Sydney to install this equipment to help swimmers safely enjoy our natural waterways – it’s a small project set to make a big difference.”
Live water-quality results can now be seen on Council’s Swimming in Lake Parramatta and Lake Parramatta Buoy web pages.
