council

Weekend’s Weather a Winner

photo credit: wabberjocky

Ok, so I now officially update my blog software more often than post on it, but I have a (poor) excuse! I could be convinced that Summer is almost here after two consecutive weekends of some great weather!

Spent the weekend up at Omaha and enjoyed the sunshine and the surf, kept up the sunblock so I wouldn’t be doing my beetroot impression for the next week.

Which makes me all the more concerned about the fact that Many of the country’s most popular swimming spots are not safe, according to a water quality survey by Consumer New Zealand. Having swum in Omaha previously for years, and absolutely failed to come down with campylobacter or sprout a new limb, I’m not too worried.

However, trying to find any information about this online you will quite quickly come up with nothing. A scour of the Auckland City and Rodney District council will turn up nothing except an 0800 number which, when I rang it, told me they had never heard of “Safe Swim”. Might need to try and and OIA that out of local government.

Auckland City council goes so far as to recommend “don’t swim at the beach for 48 hours after heavy rain“. Check your calendar, yes, we are in the 21st century. To further rub raw sewerage in the wound, the Council is looking to axe millions from storm water maintenance and upgrades.

Rates vs. swimmable beaches? You have to do what you have to do, although with John Banks there’s no guarantee that it will.