THE COUNTRY | Environment Bay of Plenty’s popular poo-contaminated swim spots revealed 21 Jan, 2019 7:53am 4 minutes to read Some of the Bay of Plenty’s most popular swimming spots are considered too unsafe to swim in but that has not stopped hordes of people going for a dip in faecally-contaminated waters this summer.
Data from Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA) shows seven Bay swimming spots, including Kaiate Falls in Welcome Bay, have warnings advising people to stay out of the water.
Other "unsafe" areas are Pukehina at Waihī Estuary boat ramp, Lake Ōkaro, Lake Rotoehu at Otautu Bay and Kennedy Bay, Ngongotahā Stream, Utuhina Stream and Uretara River.
"There were warning signs but we took the risk.
Warnings are issued by Toi Te Ora Public Health which, with Bay of Plenty Regional Council, monitors the region’s waterways for bacteria levels such as E.coli within every two weeks.
Local waterways are regularly tested by councils and if contamination levels are above the threshold "then we issue a warning".
Both Ingle and Shoemack said regardless of health warnings, people should avoid swimming for at least two to three days after heavy or prolonged rain – especially if you cannot see your toes in calf-deep water.
More than $30 million was spent annually toward improving the Bay’s water quality, including work with landowners and community groups to identify and mitigate E. coli hotspots such as Kaiate Falls, Uretara Stream and Waiōtahe Estuary.
"Through [the] council’s work with Fonterra and local landowners over the past year, 16 Farm Environment Plans are now being put into action in the Waiōtahe catchment."
These days the water, like at Kaiate Falls, is "unsafe".