Community sea lettuce clean up

Matua Residents Association president Richard Kluit. Photo/File

The Matua Residents Association is calling for the assistance of the community to clean up the foreshore this Sunday, as a long summer will bring masses of sea lettuce to beaches around the city.

Sea lettuce is expected to be a big problem this season, due to the El Nino weather pattern predicted this summer. El Nino will bring higher water temperatures, making Tauranga Harbour a perfect place for the algae to grow.

Matua Residents Association chairman Richard Kluit asked members of the public to help clean up rocks on the beaches to make things easier for the contractors who picked up the lettuce for composting and other uses.

The more rocks that were cleaned up, the lesser the impact on the community, and beaches would be cleaner come summer time, Mr Kluit said.

In September, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Tauranga Harbour projects manager Bruce Gardner said trends showed large amounts of sea lettuce were consistent with the El Nino weather patterns expected in the coming months.

"It's a common misconception that sea lettuce growth is mainly caused by sewage and industrial pollution. We know that's not currently the case for Tauranga because all the discharge points around the harbour have been removed," Mr Gardner said.

"It becomes a real nuisance for people when it smells or gets in the way of boating or swimming.

"We'd love to hear from anyone that thinks they can make good use of collected sea lettuce. If it's a bumper season in the northern harbour we need to minimize the high cost of cartage back to Te Maunga."

Community members were encouraged to help out this Sunday from 9am, starting at the boat ramp at Otumoetai Rd Reserve or at Kulim Park.

Concerns about sea lettuce should be reported to the council's Pollution Hotline on 0800 884 883.