Polluted Tourist Attraction to Get Clean Up

Source: NZ Herald

The public are today getting the chance to comment on council proposals to clean up the Maketu Estuary in the Bay of Plenty and the Kaituna River, which could cost an estimated $1 million.

The waterways, which include the highest commercially operated white water rapids in the world are contaminated by nitrogen, discharges from waste water treatment and freezing plants, and run off from farms and septic tanks.

According to the NZ Herald the Maketu Estuary

* (Is a) popular eeling and whitebaiting spot. Fishing for kahawai and snapper is also common in the area.
* Currently receives 4 per cent (100,000 cubic metres) of the Kaituna River flow per tidal cycle via the man-made Fords Cut.
* Has had a decline in plant and aquatic species.
* Is heavily polluted by a freezing works, wastewater plant and farm run-off going into the Kaituna River.
* Development around the river, reduced buffers between the land and the water, stock grazing and silt have also contributed to pollution, reduced wetlands and fish spawning.
* A working group is proposing more water be diverted from the river to improve water quality.

Health Hazards at Muriwai and Dunedin Beaches

A while ago I wrote about the shocking water quality at some of New Zealand's most popular swimming places - a third of them were found to be so polluted that the Ministry for the Environment advised people to stay out of the water. Advice that was in stark contrast to NZ's '100% Pure' image. Some of the locations (Ocean Beach stream in Northland and Kawakawa Bay south of Auckland) were so polluted that the Ministry said the councils should have permanent "no swimming signs".

Beaches in both the North and South Islands made the news again today.

A mass failure of household septic tank systems has put over 2000 residents and a million visitors at risk at Rodney District Council's Muriwai beach, site of a world famous gannet colony.

In Dunedin St Kilda, St Clair and Middle beaches were closed on Sunday due to increased levels of harmful bacteria from the discharge outfall at Lawyer's Head. Fortunately this should be rectified later this week when a new $34 million waste discharge pipe comes on line and pushes treated sewage a kilometre out to sea.

However, no similar solution is proposed for Muriwai where the provision of a municipal waste water treatment plant would cost an estimated $9 million and take six years to complete.

Rodney DC have said that Muriwai has been rejected for a Government sanitary works subsidy scheme because it "rated low in the deprivation index."

A Third Of All Popular Swimming Places Unsafe

In stark contrast to New Zealand's '100% Pure' image a survey of local authority records by Consumer NZ has revealed that 29% of the most popular beaches and swimming spots are so polluted that the Ministry for the Environment advises people to stay out of the water.


Additionally, a lack of proper information from some councils means that the problem could be even worse than the survey suggests.

"Consumer NZ chief Sue Chetwin said a lack of helpful information from councils means swimmers at many other beaches may be at risk of campylobacter and ear, eye and skin infections."

Consumer NZ looked at the results from 500 councils and only 17% of bathing places had a water quality ranked as "very good". Some were so bad that "no swimming" signs should be erected:
"Ocean Beach stream in Northland and Kawakawa Bay, south of Auckland, were among those ranked very poor - the level where the ministry says councils should have up permanent "no swimming" signs.

Beaches ranked poor included spots at Paihia, Mangawhai, Gisborne's Waikanae Beach (above) and Rere Rock Slide (below), which is featured on AA's "101 Must-Do" list."

No Auckland City beaches appeared in the survey because the city council could not provide information. This comes at a time when the council is preparing to cut $86 million from stormwater improvements.

The cuts will result in sewage overflows at popular Eastern Bays beaches - St Heliers, Kohimarama and Mission Bay (below) occurring for years longer than planned.


Source: NZ Herald