The freshwater bathing site monitoring programme for the 2009-2010 season has concluded. However, Lake Rotomanu and Lake Rotokare will continue to be monitored periodically for cyanobacteria during 2010.
The full monitoring programme for the new season will begin in November 2010. When monitoring is being carried out, data on this website is updated each evening at approximately 7:30pm if there are any new results available.
Public health status: Click here to access Taranaki District Health Board information on the public health status of monitored sites.
The graph and its associated database are set to a minimum count of 1.2 to allow adequate visual presentation. So a reading of 1.2 reflects an actual sample result of 1 or less than 1 bacterium per 100mls.
Patea River at Patea Boat Ramp
Current values:
- E. coli: 87 nos/100ml (2010-03-09 00:00:00)
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Between 13 and 20 samples will be collected during the bathing season from November 2009 to early April 2010. Purple vertical bars show the bacterial count measured in the water on particular days. These are single sample counts. Note the logarithmic scale of the bacterial indicator axis. It is not a linear graph where the intervals are unchanged up the scale. A bathing site is considered safe for swimming unless two consecutive sample counts for marine water are more than the Action Limit of 280 enterococci/100ml at beach sites or when the single sample count for freshwater is more than 550 E. coli /100ml. Should single sample counts be greater than the Action Limit, this indicates that the maximum recommended value for safe swimming has been exceeded and additional sampling, and investigations may be initiated. The Medical Officer of Health advises users "that bacterial counts are high after heavy rainfall. Recreational use should be reduced for two-three days after heavy rainfall". |
For more information contact the Taranaki Regional Council:
Email: info@trc.govt.nz
Phone: 06 765 7127
Fax: 06 765 5097