Melburnians looking longingly at the warm-to-hot weather forecast for this weekend had better hope for no deluges of rain before then, or swimming will be off limits at the city's beaches.
The Environment Protection Authority says last Thursday's heavy rains swept faecal matter from roads and waterways into city beaches.
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Melbourne beaches tainted by faeces after rain
By Monday, the water quality at 21 out of 36 Melbourne beaches was ranked as "poor", meaning the public should avoid coming into contact with the water. Vision courtesy ABC News.
The pollutants were so significant that they made the water from Frankston to Werribee South unsuitable for bathing.
Then, after the waters on the Bellarine Peninsula were deemed safe for swimming on Sunday, overnight rainfall saw warnings upgraded, with swimmers urged to be cautious about bathing at beaches between Geelong and Queenscliff.
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By Monday, the water quality at 21 out of 36 Melbourne beaches was ranked as "poor", meaning the public should avoid coming into contact with the water.
All of this has left beach-lovers wondering whether the waters will be safe enough for swimming by this weekend, when the temperatures are expected to climb into the thirties.
The EPA takes water samples mid-week, so the exact state of the water quality will not be known until then.
However, EPA Group Manager of Applied Sciences Anthony Boxshall said visual reports show that while the plume of water from last Thursday and Friday had flushed into the bay, the water was starting to dilute around Sandringham.
"If we don't get any more good rain before the middle of the week, the water quality will be better," he said.
The EPA predicts the water will be slightly better at most beaches on Tuesday, raising the rating of the water's condition at most beaches to  "fair", which means its quality is good enough for recreational activities but could be affected by rainfall, particularly if the beach is close to a stormwater outlet.
Noting the presence of light, scattered showers, Dr Boxshall said "the dribbling rain like this is not too much of a problem."
Dr Boxshall said the types of animal faeces in the bay changed depending on where the flooding occurred, but could include dog, bird, cat, cow, horse and human faeces. He added that often human faeces made its way into the water from leaking port-a-loos.
The EPA has warned that a number of sewage spills were reported in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs as a result of the heavy rainfall. These included spills in Murrumbeena, Bentleigh, Brighton East, Carnegie, Caulfield North and Brighton.
The Yarra River's water quality has also suffered. A sewage spill and stormwater has been reported near Burke Road in Kew. Stormwater is also believed to have affected the Yarra's water quality at Launching Place and Healesville. The EPA says the water quality is only "fair" and may not be suitable for swimming.Â
A sewage spill has also been reported at Macedon Street, Sunbury, near Riddells Creek, and swimmers have been told to avoid it until further notice.
Dr Boxshall called for Victorians to report unusual environmental conditions to the EPA.
"Sometimes people see things that are a bit iffy and there are still people that do make the wrong connections. We would ask that if people see something that they report it by calling 1300 EPAVIC [1300 372 842]," he said.
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