Safe swimming on the rise in Canterbury

Environmentalists believe Canterbury’s rivers and lakes can all be safe for swimming within the next decade following improvements in water quality across the region.

More than three-quarters of the most popular freshwater swimming spots were safe enough for the public to take a dip last summer.

Improvements were found in 12 of 52 sites monitored by Environment Canterbury (ECan) scientists testing for harmful E coli, a bacteria that can indicate faecal contamination from livestock, birds or humans.

But ECan again missed a target set in 2009 of having 80 per cent of freshwater sites swimmable by 2015.

Some 76 per cent of swimming sites were safe, up from 68 per cent in 2015-16 and a rise for a second year in a row.

Four freshwater spots – on the Hurunui River, at Lake Hood near Ashburton, a section of the Ashley River and the Temuka River – had falls in water quality.

Canterbury’s beaches were in even better condition, with 93 per cent safe for swimming.

All coastal areas on Banks Peninsula, Lyttelton Harbour and in Christchurch were safe, with only a few sections of the Avon-Heathcote Estuary too dangerous for a dip.

ECan chief scientist Dr Tim Davie said it remained the goal for all freshwater sites to be safe for swimming – something he believed was possible within the next five to 10 years for measurements of E coli. He conceded the goal for clean swimming spots had again been missed, but it was ‘‘positive news’’ that water quality was headed in the right direction. Getting ‘‘well beyond’’ the 80 per cent target was achievable, though it would be difficult in urban areas.

ECan council acting chairman Steve Lowndes said improving Canterbury’s water quality took ‘‘a thousand different steps’’.

‘‘It is going to take probably decades to turn around the emissions from farming on the plains over the last 150 years.’’

The state of New Zealand’s freshwater areas was a hot topic during the election and the Government has set a target of 90 per cent swimmable by 2040.

Davie lauded the efforts of Canterbury landowners and farmers to protect waterways and keep them clean, singling out fencing work near the Waihi River gorge in helping improve water quality.

But while suitable regulations were in place, more efforts were needed in rural communities, along with more investment and better infrastructure in towns and cities, he said.

‘‘Christchurch has issues around sewage overflows. That takes a huge amount of investment in order to overcome it.’’

Federated Farmers North Canterbury dairy chairman Michael Woodward welcomed the news but urged farmers to continue their efforts.

Improvements had come despite low milk prices and a turnaround in the market could fund even more work, he said.