New ‘swimmable’ river standards criticised

Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty blames water quality for a blistering rash on her legs that lasted three weeks after kayaking on Albany’s Lucas Creek, in November last year.

Yet, Lucas Creek is now classified as ‘‘swimmable’’ under new Government standards, despite not being any cleaner than it was back then.

Environment minister Dr Nick Smith announced on February 23 a target of making 90 per cent of New Zealand’s lakes and rivers swimmable by 2040.

However, the new ‘‘swimmable’’ standard is 540 E coli per 100 millilitres of water, which used to be the standard for ‘‘wadeable’’, Delahunty said.

Smith’s announcement followed two days after Delahunty presented a petition in Wellington, signed by 12,000 New Zealanders, urging the Government to make rivers swimmable. The petition was part of the Green Party’s Swimmable Rivers campaign, which targeted 10 rivers, including Lucas Creek - the only urban stream.

Delahunty said Smith’s announcement merely rebranded dirty rivers as clean.

Delahunty said her rash proved the creek was unhealthy.

Lucas Creek had 280 units of E coli per 100 millilitres, according to Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). This is 20 units of E coli higher than the Ministry of Health’s guidelines for for safe, clean water to swim in. But, well within the new government guidelines.

Smith said in a press release, also on February 23, that claims the Government’s proposed standards for improving water quality are lower is incorrect.

However, Delahunty said that the standards are ‘‘deliberately complex and confusing’’.

‘‘No one wants to take a watertesting kit to the river before they swim in it,’’ she said.

Urban pollution and waste, due to so much development in the North Shore, is the root of Lucas Creek’s problems, Delahunty said.

‘‘If you put a whole cocktail of pollutants in a river it will make it unsafe and swimmable.’’

‘‘Everything that goes through our stream goes into the beaches. We want our families to go to the beach and not worry about the pollution coming in from the rivers.’’ A funny rendition of the Village People’s YMCA is being used to share the importance of honesty in real estate.

Harcourts Cooper & Co made the video REAA for its January training conference, managing director Martin Cooper says.

The video was a fun way of conveying a serious message, impressing on real estate agents the importance of compliance and looking after the customer.

The company fully supports the Real Estate Agents Authority, REAA, he says.

‘‘It’s no fun at the R.E.A.A,’’ the video says as its chorus line.

‘‘Your lawyer will send you a massive bill/it will make you feel ill,’’ it continues.

The video has had more than 26,000 views on Facebook since it was posted on January 26.

SUPPLIED Green party members kayak Lucas Creek as a part of raising awareness for the Swimmable Rivers campaign.