Swimming spots to get safety checks

"We recognise the importance of recreational water users being well informed about the potential health risks at these sites..." Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon

People wanting to cool off over the hot summer months with a dip at the beach or in a river can easily see if the water is safe or not.

Horizons Regional Council has started its swim spot monitoring programme for the summer, checking water health at more than 80 sites across the wider Manawatu¯ Whanganui area.

The test results are then uploaded to the Horizons’ and Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) websites.

The LAWA site collates data from across the country and turns it into the ‘‘Can I Swim Here?’’ feature, that colour codes swim spots to indicate if they if they are safe or unsafe to swim at.

Horizons also has a safe swim spots page on its website.

Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon said there were many excellent places to swim in the region, contrary to some commonly held beliefs. ‘‘However, we recognise the importance of recreational water users being well informed about the potential health risks at these sites, and that is why we have this programme.

‘‘We hope that our monitoring programme, and campaign that we run over the same period, will reinforce the message that throughout summer most of our region’s popular swim spots are safe for swimming.’’

Samples would be taken weekly from each of the sites, sent to an independent, accredited lab for testing, with the results updated within 48 hours.

However, people should keep an eye out for other signs of danger, such as unstable cliffs, submerged logs and rips at beaches, Gordon said. ‘‘Another thing to remember is that as sampling is weekly, the results may not always reflect the water quality for the whole week, especially if it has rained.

‘‘A general rule is, if the water looks clear and it’s three days after rainfall, you should be good to go.’’

Horizons science and innovation manager Abby Matthews said the programme results would be used to help the council decide future work and policies. ‘‘The swim spot results help us identify areas that need some work and where improvements are happening.’’

The programme runs until the end of April.

Horizons is also running a ‘‘Swim, Splash and Share Your Region’’ competition, where people can take photos in swim spots and post them on social media with the hashtag, #swiminourregion.