Aucklanders seeking to cool off with a dip in the sea might want to think twice with dozens of high-risk warnings in place at city beaches.
According to Auckland Council's Safeswim database, 39 city spots have a "high risk" of illness from swimming, while one spot, Castor Bay, has a "very high risk".
The warnings come after yesterday's deluge of rain which saw about 20mm of rain fall in a short space of time, overloading parts of the storm and wastewater networks.
A black alert indicating a very high risk of illness from swimming was issued for Castor Bay just after 3pm yesterday, following a wastewater overflow. The alert remained in place on Monday.
Many beach users were unaware of the warning at Browns Bay. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Popular inner-city swimming spots including Takapuna and Pt Chevalier carried a high risk of illness today, as well as Herne Bay where there had been a recent sewer overflow.
Wastewater overflows across the city have seen dozens of high risk alerts issued for city beaches. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
The red classification is triggered by a direct measure of faecal indicator bacteria, Enterococci, in the water.
It denotes a greater than 2 per cent chance of getting sick from swimming at a beach.
A red alert remained in place for Browns Bay on the North Shore, where a wastewater fault about three weeks ago saw E. coli levels up to 10,000 times over the guidelines at a stormwater outflow at the northern end of the beach.
Check before you swim. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
High levels of E. coli can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhoea and vomiting.
On the beach itself, the levels remained slightly elevated as Watercare staff worked to repair the fault.
Despite the warnings, when the Herald visited the beach on Saturday many people, including children, were in the water blissfully unaware of the health risks.
Auckland Council's Safeswim general manager Nick Vigar recommended people did not enter the water while the warnings were in place.
Smelly waters
"It is not great to see people swimming. Even though it does say high risk, most people will be fine, but still it would be nice to see people checking Safeswim more often.
The smattering of red alerts following the rain was "expected", and would be lifted in the coming days as the water dispersed, Vigar said.
The number of such wastewater overflows and related water quality issues would reduce as the city upgraded its sewer network, he said.
This work was being funded through the council's water-quality targeted rate, which aimed to reduce wastewater overflows by up to 90 per cent over the next 10 years.
