Proposed changes to the monitoring programmes and a summary of the 2021-2022 summer recreational monitoring in fresh water, estuaries and open-coast beaches were presented at Waikato Regional Council’s Environmental Performance Committee meeting on 5th May 2022.
During the 2021/22 season, faecal indicator bacteria concentrations and/or cyanobacteria counts exceeded guideline values on several occasions.
- Open beaches were mostly suitable for swimming, with two exceedances of the guidelines for enterococci, one at Buffalo Beach and Port Waikato Beach.
- Five estuary sites were monitored this summer for enterococci and E. coli bacteria at sites in Kāwhia, Maraetai Bay, Raglan, Tairua and Whangamatā. There were five exceedances above the enterococci guideline, four at the Tairu Pepe Stream and one in Kāwhia; there were four exceedances above the E. coli guideline, one at Raglan motorcamp and three at Tairua Pepe Stream
- Nine river sites were monitored weekly for E. coli from December to February (excluding Waikato River hydro-lakes), with 22 exceedances above the recreational guideline. All rivers sampled were impacted except for the Waikato River at Horahora domain, where all results were suitable for swimming.
- Water quality in lakes is measured for E. coli (Lake Taupō and shallow lakes) and cyanobacteria bio volume (Lake Taupō, shallow and hydro-lakes). There were three exceedances of the recreational guideline for cyanobacteria in Lake Ohakuri and one exceedance in Lake Maraetai.
Read more at the Raglan 23 website.