Too much bird poo in a popular Bay of Plenty swimming spot has prompted an investigation following a warning from health authorities.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has confirmed it has found high levels of E.coli in the Uretara River, near Katikati, in recent river monitoring work.
The regional council was now looking into what was causing the high levels of bacteria after Toi Te Ora Public Health issued a health warning advising the public to avoid swimming in the river in December.
To find the source of the bacteria the regional council set up 13 additional monitoring sites upstream of the popular Henry Road Ford swimming hole, to test both the water and sediments.
Regional council land management officer Braden Rowson said the testing identified the bacteria was predominantly from birds, with one key site showing extremely high levels of avian faecal matter in the sediments.
"This upstream site had become home to a number of birds including a flock of nesting geese with hatchlings and a high number of resident pūkeko. They poo in and around the water which then flows downstream affecting the waterway," Rowson said.