As part of the Beach Pollution Response Plan, the EPD now
utilizes sophisticated IT tools that make tracking down and
eliminating pollution faster and easier than ever before.
For example, by utilizing its Geographical Information System
(GIS) resource the EPD can now draw up accurate, easily updateable
plans of catchment areas with potential pollution hazards
marked as accurately as possible. Each beach catchment plan
comes with detailed information about every sewage treatment
facility in the vicinity, including the treatment method of
each facility and its daily discharge rate. If the EPD’s monitoring team notice unexpectedly high levels of E. coli at a beach, the EPD can quickly call up the relevant beach catchment plan, locate all the potential sources of pollution, and carry out a rapid inspection of each one to determine the source of the problem.
[Image of a sample of a beach catchment plan]