A notice appeared on a LAWA website alerting the fact Waitarere Beach was "unsuitable for swimming".
A notice appeared on a LAWA website alerting the fact Waitarere Beach was "unsuitable for swimming".
Waitarere Beach was unsuitable for swimming last week - but hardly anyone knew about it.
That lack of public awareness meant there were incidents of vomiting and diarrhoea from people who went for a beach swim last Friday and fell ill hours later.
Tests earlier in the week had shown faecal bacteria levels to be almost twice the level recommended as safe by the Ministry of Health.
Horizons Regional Council environmental monitoring scientist Kelly Le Quesne said the situation has highlighted the need to ensure all public no-swimming notices were widely and promptly circulated.
"We are currently working towards updating our procedures to ensure something like this doesn't occur again and that warnings and notifications can be actioned in a more suitable timeframe," she said.
More people were saved from potential illness thanks to members of the Waitarere Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, who used their initiative to warn people from the water in the absence of any formal directive.
Waitarere Beach surf lifeguard Paul Langman was just checking beachgoers were heeding the no-swim notice.
Club president Andrew Parkin stumbled across a notice on the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) website on Saturday morning that said the beach was "unsuitable for swimming".
The club adopted a proactive stance themselves, along with Beach Wardens, until the situation could be properly understood.
Club members setting up for a routine beach patrol turned their attentions to warning people not to enter the water, and erecting their own warning signs, although ordinarily "no swim" signs would be the responsibility of Horizons.
Lifeguards Kaedie Stephens, Darcey Isaacs, Sevena Su, Kyrian Aitchison, Josh Sawyer, Olivia Murray-Kirby and Alysha Cadle were training at Waitarere Beach at the weekend.
Club captain Brian Forth said it highlighted the need for prompt health information to be widely circulated to the public.
He knew of two people that fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea after swimming at the beach last Friday, days after tests had come back showing high levels of faecal bacteria.
"We were never notified that it was unsuitable for swimming. We had to assess it for ourselves," he said.
The sea water was noticeably discoloured. Breaking waves appeared to be the colour of molasses, with light brown patches of foam washing onto the shore.
Several people spoken to at the beach commented on a foul smell. Forth said there was the odd occasion he could remember when shellfish had washed up and died on the beach, although he said this was a different type of smell.
Le Quesne said two samples were taken from Waitarere Beach last week. The first, taken on December 6, showed faecal source bacteria (enterococci) levels of 360MPN/100ml, triggering the need for another sample two days later that showed a reading of 400.
MOH guidelines were for levels no greater than 280MPN/100ml. Lab results had to be returned within 48 hours so results could be circulated.
Heavy machinery was employed to clear debris near the Wairarawa Stream at Waitarere Beach at the weekend.
Le Quesne said health warnings were only issued after two consecutive high bacteria samples. The second sample was returned last Friday, December 10, although MidCentral Health and Horowhenua District Council weren't notified until the following Tuesday.
Enterococci was a naturally occurring bacteria found in the gut of humans and animals that at high levels posed a health risk when swimming. The high levels were likely due to heavy rainfall events, she said.
Significant rainfall events last week - where as much as 77mm fell in 24 hours in December 7 - compromised stormwater networks across Horowhenua.
Horowhenua District Council chief executive David Clapperton said wastewater networks had struggled to keep up with stormwater inflow and infiltration.
"Sucker" trucks were also used at wastewater pump stations at Kennedy Drive in Levin, and areas at Waitārere Beach, Foxton, Foxton Beach and Shannon to prevent raw sewage entering those networks.
Clapperton said HDC contractors had worked around the clock to relieve the pressure at wastewater pump stations and in areas with flooding.
Heavy machinery works to clear the Wairarawa Stream at Waiterere Beach at the weekend.
HDC employed diggers to clear the mouth of the Wairarawa Stream near the Waitarere Beach entrance at the weekend to mitigate the high water table.
The LAWA website said that heavy rain flushed contaminants from urban and rural land into waterways and swimmers should be advised not to swim between two and three days after heavy or prolonged rain – even at sites that generally have good water quality.
As of yesterday, the website said Waiterere Beach was still unsuitable for swimming.
Le Quesne said Lawa.org.nz was Horizons' main platform for circulating information to the public and it would normally direct people to that site via social media and media releases.
