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Investigations are underway into the source of consistently elevated bacterial levels at some popular Northland summer swim spots, including Waipu’s Piroa Falls.
Northland Regional Council Council Chairman Bill Shepherd says previous investigations have identified wildfowl and ruminant animals (like cows) as the source of faecal contamination at the falls.
Council advises people not to swim for two or three days after heavy rain, which can carry run-off from land.
“As a rule of thumb, don’t swim if the water looks dirty or murky, smells or has scum on its surface and look out for or consider any potential sources of contamination, both nearby and upstream,” Mr Shepherd says.
Water quality concerns can be reported to the Council’s environmental hotline: 0800 504 639.
Weekly monitoring results for all swimming sites can be found on the LAWA website: lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming.
