What you need to know before entering the water at Whangamata this summer – not so long ago, New Zealands premier sun sand and surf holiday town(video shot before and after labour weekend 2014).

Not all blooms produce toxins, but it can be hard to tell a harmful algae bloom from other algae blooms, and cyanobacteria can be found in blooms with other algae. Along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the World Health Organisation, Greater Wellington Regional Council, and the MfE,  SPS recommend avoiding contact with any floating rafts, scums, and discolored water, If you are holidaying in Whangamata this summer and notice any algae blooms advise you to alert WRC as soon as possible ( 0800 800 401).

To date the Waikato Regional Council have stated that they believe these scums are just natural phenomena and that at this point there is no need to investigate further. At SPS we hold a different view, we believe they are a natural reaction to increased nutrient loading in the estuary. Excessive nutrients encourage the explosive growth of algae. The process of nutrient enrichment in a waterway is called eutrophication. The main nutrients contributing to eutrophication are phosphorus and nitrogen. less dissolved oxygen in the water column is an end result.

Runoff and erosion from fertilised agricultural areas, erosion from river banks, river beds, land clearing (deforestation), and sewage effluent are the major sources of phosphorus and nitrogen entering water ways. Wastewater discharges into Whangamata’s  estuaries are nothing new. Since the introduction of Whangamata’s reticulated wastewater system in the Mid 1980’s, locals witnessed the town’s estuaries and surfbreaks suffering from degraded water quality from the start, mainly by the way of the unlined leaking settlement pond and discharges of waste water directly in to both the Moanuanuanu and Otahu estuaries – especially during peak loading.

It’s because of continual pressure from the likes of Paul Shanks, Clean Water Whangamata and other locals since 1997 that Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) finally relented and upgraded the plant in 2009… But the toxic algae blooms remain, what’s more they still give the appearance of managed events on Spring tides – either side of holiday weekends like Labour Weekend and Beach Hop, Auckland Anniversary Weekends, but not during (Which we have footage of).

Often the wastewater drains around the town like this one in Mayfair Ave, have what appear to be  polished wastewater discharges during dry spells – that is wastewater free of solids, as if returning to the town after preliminary treatment. The open stormwater drain in Mckellar place behind suburban properties has a dual function as an open sewer, and still regularly discharges into the Otahu estuary(pictured below) again often during dry spells.

The waste water plant upgrade in 2009 has had no effect on these blooms, and discharges continue unabated. Since Labour weekend (2014) SPS made a formal notification and alerted the authorities. both TCDC and WRC remain coy and unwilling to investigate, or respond to our concerns, despite SPS notifying the councils and the District Health Board. The DHB has not returned our calls.

TCDC chose Opus Consultants to coordinate the upgrades and/or implementation of three waste water plants on the Peninsula’s Eastern seaboard at Whitianga Pauanui/Tairua and Whangamata, the project became known as The ES3 Project. A one size fits all approach was taken, flying in the face of an inclusive consultation process with Clean Water Whangamata as recommended by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Environment’s(PCE)  Report of 2005.

Recommendation 12 To EW [WRC] and TCDC: EW and TCDC meet with Clean Water Whangamata and the Public Health Unit of Health Waikato to discuss concerns about water quality testing. The conclusions from such a meeting would then be fed back into the community planning process and used to implement water quality testing and monitoring programmes.

It’s unfortunate WRC ceased monitoring water quality at Whangamata in 2008, without consulting with Clean Water Whangamata. Due to a lack of any consultation, the legitimate distrust of TCDC soon resurfaced in the community, and the process once again became adversarial, with the big money behind the council winning out for the controversial upgrade.

The  community groups simply did not have the financial depth to lobby further for the desired kuboto system (although cheaper than the Opus option).

The similarities between the way TCDC treated Whangamata residents and those at Cooks Beach  bear a striking resemblance.

On the first appeal by Clean Water Whangamata(CWW) and SPS  in June 2007 the design parameters of the new upgrade proposed by Opus (on behalf of TCDC) were contested  and an agreement was reached for the lining of the  pond that was leaking about 30,000 liters per week into the Moanaanuanu estuary. In September 2007 TCDC turned around and granted a non notified consent to allow the leaking sewer pond an extension to continue doing so, for the next thirty years.

With the second appeal in 2010 SPS went purely with goal of achieving our points through Env Court mediation. We sought  lining of the pond and Opus agreed. We sought increases in spray field areas and removal of inappropriate locations  in the pine forest, and had some limited success. The problem with the spray fields is that most of the spray areas are on slopes that are on an incline up to, and above  27 degrees. The EU recommended upper limit is no more than 5 degrees, (some of the reasons being uncontrolled runoff on steep slopes and ponding).

SPS pointed out that 1994 – 1998  figures for the failing pre existing plant were reporting volumes up to 788,000 cu meters per year. The new plant only has capacity for up to 550,000 cu meters per year, and the new plant would not be able to cope, nor would the receiving environment – our concerns were not responded to.

In December 2014 TCDC gave a press release stating regarding the state of the ES3 project:

We have completed more up-to-date modelling and testing that shows some parts of Tairua-Pauanui and Whitianga plants are near capacity over peak summer. With some fine tuning of these plants we can optimise capacity as well as doing some small capital works to increase capacity.

But no mention of Whangamata…

When SPS went to mediation we were calling for the construction of denitrification beds, and without them we predicted the algae events that we are seeing now. Denitrification is part of the nitrogen cycle. It is a process where bacteria in soil break down nitrate and convert it into atmospheric nitrogen gas. it is also a highly concentrated byproduct of effluent from wastewater plants which needs to be carefully managed to protect the receiving environment. With aquatic denitrification  high nitrate loading degrades water quality and is linked to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, especially in coastal marine waters.

Denitrification beds are essentially large containers filled with wood chips that greatly assist in the removal of biologically available nitrate, diatoms and blue green algae (cyanobacteria) are great opportunists of nitrogen loading from wastewater. Denitrification Beds are relatively easy to retrofit to wastewater plants.

When in Environment Court Mediation in 2010 Opus made it clear they would not accept denitrification beds and were willing to take that point through to the environment court if need be, due to financial constraints SPS withdrew from further appeal. Many of the sprinkler slopes were (and still are)  compromised by double and triple overlaying of sprinklers, increasing the load several times, leading to heavy nutrient loaded run off into the estuary, via the Waikiekie stream in particular.

The PCE report of 2005 stated that: The EW [ WRC] report concluded the wastewater spray irrigation system contributed most of the nitrogen load into the stream and half the load of faecal bacteria. Nitrate as a nutrient enhances the growth of nuisance plants (such as algae in coastal environments), and the report concluded up to 92 percent of the nitrate coming into the harbour was from the Waikiekie Stream catchment. 

After the events of Labour weekend 2014  SPS president Paul Shanks laid a complaint with WRC, and in email discussions I had with WRC water scientist Bill Vant he has suggested that foams observed by Paul which seem to be more common at the time of spring tides is connected with the periodic disturbance of films of microalgae growing near the high water mark in the Moananuanu estuary. Bill goes on to say that they maybe pennate diatoms which are also present in the Tairua estuary, they may be growing in the upper boundary  of the intertidal zone and dislodged on the spring tide (abridged).

Mr Vant also states that: Scums and foams are commonly observed in coastal areas and often result from the action of wind and waves on nearshore waters that contain certain naturally-occurring plant products. Local observations confirm that there was no wind or wave action present in the sheltered estuary on the days that the video were taken, and again these events appear to be managed to avoid weekends.

 Mr Vant: The marine algae called “diatoms” produce and release natural polysaccharides that can reduce the surface tension of the water, and thus act like natural detergents.  The foams aren’t necessarily a sign of an algal bloom. just that the particular type of marine diatoms are present.   To quote from:  Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation)  1973: Certain features of diatom communities maybe used as indirect measures of water quality. Margalef recognised a relationship between diversity and energy flow across an aquatic ecosystem. Unpolluted waters are usually characterised by a large number of species, each with a small number of individuals. Certain species take advantage of  innate capacity for population increase, resulting in a decrease of diversity with one or a few species attaining great abundance.

Copepods are a group of crustacean plankton animals which are essentially to the sea and to freshwater lakes and rivers what insects are to the land, and themselves a major food source of many fish species. There are a number of studies that have been conducted which point to copepod populations declining dramatically as they are unable to sustain a  particular dominant unialgal diatom diet alone, as what occurs in a bloom. Many juvenile and forage fish species like Mullet and Hearing  feed on copepods.  

SPS think that what we may be seeing In Whangamata with almost clockwork precision is a transition of the waterbodies from a relatively oligotrophic state(that is a state that is higher in oxygen) to one that is more eutrophic (higher in nutrients – lower in oxygen). The diatoms(or their byproducts) rising to surface may be illustrating the progression of an algae population that is predominantly diatom based(oligotrophic) to a population that is predominantly cyanobacteria based (eutrophic). and this may well be having negative impacts further up the food chain in both estuaries in Whangamata.

SPS can only guess at the processes going on here because there simply is no monitoring of these estuaries health by either WRC or DoC. As far as SPS are concerned the evidence points this way, but we are all in the dark. Whangamata deserves better. While WRC is satisfied the plant is operating within the requirements of its resource consent, it is the view of SPS that the wastewater system is not operating within the requirements of the towns estuaries.

It’s unfortunate that WRC stopped monitoring water quality at Whangamata in 2008, The Moanaanuanu arm of the Whangamata estuary use to be recognised as an Area of Significant Conservation Value (ASCV) by the Department of Conservation, but then a causeway was built across it – which became advantageous to build a marina in front of it.

ASCV’s are generally recognised by their wide range of biodiversity, the presence of algae blooms in an ecosystem often demonstrate a sudden imbalance with energy inflows. The Whangamata estuary is the shallowest in New Zealand, with 75 percent of its volume coming and going on the tide, when the water re enters, the seawater, being heavier than freshwater  is at the bottom of the water column, meaning that when Bill Vant of WRC did his water testing at a recommended depth of between 15 and 20cm, it is quite  likely that the samples were below the upper freshwater wedge.

As we have have mentioned previously, these algae events occur around spring tides. However these blooms do not occur after the peak of the high tide, these blooms rise with with the tide, which leads us to suspect they are managed events before and after holiday weekends, not during, as per the last two Beach hop weekends (2013 and 2014) Auckland Anniversary weekend, and Labour weekend, of which we also have footage.

 

Appearances of blue green algae (also known as known as cyanobacteria)  in the Hutt river have led to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and Regional Public Health Board taking a more proactive approach to warning the public about algae events in the waterway.

The Wellington authorities have reported the  death of several dogs and  warn people to keep themselves and especially children well clear of the blooms, and attempt to predict likely occurrences of algae events through the summer and year round.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) website recommends that:

“Not all species produce toxins and even those that do don’t produce toxins all of the time.  The presence of toxins can only be identified by laboratory testing.  If you are unsure whether cyanobacteria are toxic or not, it is safest to assume they are.”

And:

 “Avoid contact with cyanobacteria in both lakes and rivers. If cyanobacteria are widespread you should presume that the water is unsafe for swimming or drinking – this includes taking water for livestock consumption. Keep your dog out of the water and most importantly, ensure it does not eat any algal material in the water or at the water’s edge….If cyanobacteria are widespread in a river or lake you should assume it is unsafe for swimming. You should avoid any skin contact with the water and avoid swallowing the water. The higher the concentration of cyanobacteria and the longer the time spent in the water, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be.  Wearing a wetsuit will not protect you and may cause severe irritation around the collar and cuffs.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its Guidelines for Safe Recreational Water Environments, Vol. 1, Coastal and Fresh Waters, offers guidelines to follow when algal blooms are present:

• Avoid areas with visible algae and/or scums. Direct contact and ingestion are associated with the greatest health risk. If no scums are visible, but water shows a strong greenish discoloration such that you cannot see your feet when standing knee deep (after sediment has settled) avoid bathing (swimming), immersion of head, and/or ingestion.
• Avoid waterskiing in visible scums or waters with a strong greenish coloration as described above because of the potentially substantial risk of exposure to aerosols.
• If sailing, sailboarding or undertaking any other activity likely to involve accidental immersion, wear clothing that is loose fitting in the openings. Use of wet suits for water sports may result in greater risk of rashes, as the algal material trapped in the wet suit will be in contact with the skin for longer periods of time. After coming ashore, shower or wash to remove algal material.

The problem is that Whangamta water quality is not monitored, and with our correspondence with both TCDC and WRC we don’t believe the councils will monitor anytime soon, It is not good enough for New Zealands premier holiday town(with the largest amount of bookings through book a bach) to suffer such disinterest from WRC with regard to the water quality.

SPS has the view that WRC and TCDC  needs to take a more proactive response to what’s going down in Whangamata. Ultimately The health of the estuaries impacts on the health of its people.

Without informed advice on the water quality at Whangamata this summer SPS can only caution you that you will be  entering  the water at your own risk.

We will be adding more youtube video and keeping you informed with any updates on the issue this summer.

Further reading:

royalsociety.org.nz – Mike Joy (BSc, MSc 1st class hons, PhD in Ecology)

Gareth Morgan – Up Shit Creek Without a Paddle

Beach results a wake-up call – An online intiative with information on 350 beaches – accessible at  Land Air Water Aotearoa