Popular swimming spots ruled unsafe
As New Zealanders head out for a swim this summer, new figures showmore than 80 swim spots around the country are currently unsafe for swimming – many with faecal contamination.
Among those off-limit spots is Gisborne’s Rere Rockslide, which has gone viral on social media in recent years. The river has a 60-metre natural slide, which swimmers can ride on a tyre tube or bodyboard before landing in a pool at the bottom.
However, weekly monitoring of the site currently has it ‘‘unsafe’’ for swimming due to E coli levels.
The latest reading, on December 23, had 770 units of E coli per 100 millimetres. Waterways are deemed unsafe if the level exceeds 540 units. While there have been many instances this year of safe swim levels at the rockslide (the last on December 9), the long-term trend is ‘‘unsafe for swimming’’.
Land AirWater Aotearoa (LAWA) says, ‘‘too much faecal contamination can cause gastroenteritis or infections of ears, eyes, nasal cavity, skin, and the upper respiratory tract’’.
Of the 750 swim spots that are monitored over summer, more than 80 are currently unsafe for swimming, and another 80 are on a ‘‘caution advised’’ notice. The numbers constantly change depending on rain, due to contaminants being washed into waterways. This time almost a year ago, after a period of rain, around 200 sites were deemed unsafe for swimming.
Ta¯kaka’s Po¯hara Beach, which has up to 600 visitors each day over summer, is currently unsafe for swimming at the monitoring point.
The Bay of Plenty’s Kaiate Falls continues to have unsafe levels of E coli. A health warning was first issued in 2015 and remains in force today, with the last sample recording 650 units per 100ml.
Rotorua’s Lake Rotoehu has also been deemed unsafe for swimming, with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council saying this is because of a bloom of potentially toxic bluegreen algae.
‘‘This health warning means that people should avoid any activity which results in contact with the lake water,’’ Dr Jim Miller, Medical Officer of Health for Toi Te Ora Public Health, says.
Contact with the blue-green algae can cause skin rashes, stomach upsets, and, in some cases, neurological effects such as tingling around the mouth, headaches, breathing difficulties and visual problems.
Yesterday, most of Auckland’s and Wellington’s popular beaches were deemed safe for swimming.
LAWA says while heavy or prolonged rain can lower water quality by washing contaminants into waterways, hotter weather can increase the chance of potentially toxic algae blooms in freshwater.
LAWA project lead Anna Madarasz-Smith says, ‘‘water quality changes, so a big part of keeping
you and your family safe is knowing what to think about before you decide where to swim’’.
‘‘Our Swim Smart Checklist includes checking water quality monitoring results on LAWA, not swimming for 2-3 days after heavy rain, and avoiding rivers and lakes where there are potentially toxic algae blooms present,’’ MadaraszSmith says.
‘‘Most monitored swim spots are suitable for swimming most of the time,’’ she says.
‘‘However, you can get ill from contaminated water, so I encourage swimmers to check LAWA for the latest recreational water quality results, along with historical data, local conditions, and other info to help them decide where’s good to swim.’’