Waste and stormwater upgrades in Picton and Waikawa have improved recreational water quality in the area.
Council’s Recreational Water Quality Report for 2025/26 showed improvements at sites including Picton foreshore, Waikawa Bay and Te Hoiere catchment, where native plantings had played their part.
Senior Environmental Scientist Steffi Henkel told July’s Environment and Planning Committee long-term trends showed measurable improvement at several sites.
“The results highlight the effectiveness of targeted investment in land and water management and provide valuable information to support future infrastructure and catchment management decisions,” she said.
“These improvements provide a clear example of how targeted infrastructure and catchment management can deliver measurable environmental and public health benefits.”
Te Hoiere has been the focus of the large-scale collaborative project which has seen multiple native plantings, fencing and knowledge sharing.
Overall, recreational water quality in Marlborough remained generally suitable for swimming, particularly during dry conditions. Short-term health risks were generally associated with rainfall-driven contamination events.
Recreational water quality testing is routinely undertaken at nine coastal and 10 river sites around Marlborough to protect public health and to inform the community about the suitability of rivers and beaches for activities including swimming,
Results showed coastal sites were generally better than river sites which was quite common due to the larger body of water, Ms Henkel said.
An exception was Governors Bay in Queen Charlotte Sound where elevated bacteria levels were most likely associated with the recreational use of the site. Taylor River remained the most impacted site due to urban contamination sources.
Council collects samples from popular river and coastal swimming sites during each summer season which are then analysed for indicator bacteria used for measuring the potential presence of harmful pathogens.
Results are posted on the LAWA website providing information on the suitability of water quality for swimming.
Go to more details on the LAWA website
