Dirty water: Swimmers warned off beaches

Date: 15/11/2017

NZ Herald - Simon Collins

Swimming has been banned at 10 Auckland beaches this summer because of worsening pollution from human and animal wastes.

Permanent signs declaring that the water is not safe for swimming went up at the start of summer at Laingholm and Wood Bay near Titirangi, the north and south lagoons at Piha, and at the Bethells Beach lagoon - all popular swimming spots for children too young to swim in the wild west coast surf.

Auckland Council has now stopped routine monitoring of water quality at all five sites, as well as at five other beaches that already had permanent warning signs - Cox's Bay, Meola Reef, Weymouth, the Wairau Stream outlet at Milford Beach and Little Oneroa lagoon on Waiheke Island.

It has also issued temporary health warnings so far this summer at seven of the other 72 beaches that are still monitored.

The worst faecal bacteria count, measured at Green Bay on November 16, was 24,200 enterococci in every 100ml of water - 173 times the maximum safe level of 140.

Wastewater biologist Gemma Tolich Allen, the Manukau Harbour Restoration Society's scientific adviser, said overflowing septic tanks and wet-weather "bypass" spills from the Mangere sewage treatment plant had been polluting the Manukau for decades.

She called for the issue to be addressed urgently.

"I think this harbour is a national jewel," she said.

"It's the second-biggest harbour in the country. It's just been slowly killed."

The new water quality data comes the day after the Weekend Herald reported that raw sewage is being flushed into the Waitemata Harbour every time the city gets more than 5mm of rain......

Tolich Allen said she first worked with the old Waitakere City Council to fund septic tank upgrades 20 years ago and the problem had only got worse since then.

She said Watercare data showed that the Mangere treatment plant reached capacity and some wastewater and stormwater had to "bypass" full treatment after heavy rain on average 20 to 22 times a year since the plant was upgraded in 2003...............

On June 29-30 last year, she said "around 124 Olympic-sized swimming pools of partially treated waste was discharged into the Manukau" just across the harbour from the beaches at Laingholm, Wood Bay and Green Bay.

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