Monitoring Summary 2009-10 - Recreational Water Quality

Recreational Water Report Card 2009-10. Our recreational water quality is generally very good in terms of compliance with the recreational water quality standards. In 2009-10 coastal water quality was better than freshwater quality.

Key Points

31 popular swimming sites are regularly monitored every summer.
Wet weather often leads to exceedances of MfE's guidelines for swimming beaches and rivers.
Swimming should be avoided during and after wet weather, particularly in urban and intensively farmed areas.
80% of coastal swimming sites were deemed safe for more than 95% of the time during the 2009-10 summer.
Only 50% of river swimming sites were deemed safe for more than 95% of the time during the 2009-10 summer.
Approximately 50% of coastal beach sites have a Grade (SFRG) 'Very Good' or 'Good'.
River sites are graded at best as Fair. Just over 60% of river sites are graded 'Poor' or 'Very Poor'.
Beach grades at the Pelorus Bridge and Wairau Bar improved from 'Poor' to 'Fair' from last year.