Birds’ mess ‘fowls’ up our water

Wild birds and a sodden summer caused a spike in bacteria counts to three freshwater monitoring sites in Taranaki, a regional council committee meeting heard.

Recreational freshwater, and beach bathing water quality reports were presented to the Taranaki Regional Council policy and planning committee on Tuesday.

Environmental quality director Gary Bedford said three sites regularly monitored between November and March last summer by council staff showed increased bacteria levels in the water.

Bird life had contributed to an increase in E.coli bacteria levels at Waiwhakaiho River, and Te Henui Stream mouths in New Plymouth urban area, and Waimoku River mouth, near Oakura, south-west of the city.

Bedford said the Waiwakaiho River was 100 per cent compliant for water quality from its source at Egmont National Park through farmland to the Merrilands Domain in urban New Plymouth.

But the river’s water quality dropped down to 39 per cent compliant near the mouth at Lake Rotomanu where large numbers of birds nest and breed.

Overall 96 per cent of monitored sites were judged above the Ministry for Environment (MfE) swimming guidelines, a 2 per cent increase from the year before.

Cyanobacteria blooms triggered alerts at two lakes, Rotomanu and Rotokare.

Regional council testing over the past five years showed 15 sites achieved 90 per cent water quality compliance.

However proposed changes in the MfE swimmability levels would mean only one site - Lake Rotokare - to be within the ministry’s guidelines.

Sampling at 12 beach sites showed water quality was worse than previous summers due to the wetter weather, Bedford said.

Opunake and Fitzroy beaches were judged the cleanest, followed by Oakura Beach, Patea, Mana Bay and Waverley beaches.

Back Beach and Ohawe Beach were the worst for water quality while Waitara West Beach was the only sample area to breach the MfE swimmability guidelines.