Now it’s a soap problem

Ali McHugh has no difficulty understanding why some people have taken to washing themselves in waterways and swimming holes in a bid to save water, but that has given rise to a new concern.

“We understand that people are trying to save water in their homes, but they’re swapping one problem for another by using products (soap, shampoo and shaving cream) that contaminate the water,” the Northland Regional Council’s water and waste monitoring manager said yesterday.

“The detergents they’re using can degrade water quality, and the effects on the river ecology is multiplied during low flows,” she said.

“No soap is a safe soap.”

Emergency services at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on SH1, immediately south of the Fairburn Rd intersection, at Pamapuria on Tuesday morning. The driver and sole occupant of the car, who was not hurt, told police that he had lost control when smoke began issuing from the steering column, the car crashing into the roadside bank. The highway was reduced to one lane for a time, but remained open.