Swimming ruled out by sewage
A sewage leak means part of a Blenheim river popular with young swimmers is off limits.
The Marlborough District Council has advised people to avoid swimming in the Taylor River, near the Blenheim amphitheatre, due to high levels of bacteria, caused by cross contamination between sewerage and stormwater pipes.
Council land and water team leader Peter Hamill said contact with and swimming in the Taylor River, nearSaveur Cafe, Bistro and Patisserie, was not recommended due to the water quality.
A sign was erected near Saveur at the end of last year as tests indicated the water quality ‘‘exceeded guidelines’’.
However, other popular swimming holes along the river, including the Henry St bridge and the area near the Monro St car park, were safe to swim in, Hamill said.
‘‘We carry out weekly monitoring as part of our recreational bathing programme. We do them every week right over the summer period when people are going to be swimming,’’ he said.
The Land, Air, Water, Aotearoa (LAWA) website marked the Taylor River as unsuitable to swim in near the Riverside Park due to the water quality.
Hamill said people should be careful when swimming in any river or creek.
‘‘You have got to be careful swimming in any waterway if you have had rain three days prior because as soon as you get rain you get surface runoff.’’
That gave things on the ground, such as bird, duck and dog poo, the opportunity to run off into the creek, he said.
Council operations and maintenance manager Steve Rooney said tests found high levels of E-coli in the stormwater system on Arthur St, which led out to the Taylor River near the amphitheatre. He was unable to give a timeframe as to when that area of the river would be safe to swim in again, but said the council was working as fast as they could to resolve it.
E-coli bacteria can cause mild to severe diarrhoea, severe stomach cramps and vomiting, and people usually get sick within three to nine days of ingesting the bacteria, according to the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.