Significant work has been taking place at Takapuna beach this year to address the water quality issues that were discovered following implementation of the Safeswim programme last summer.
Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters department and Watercare have been working together to identify all potential sources of cross-contamination between the wastewater and stormwater networks.
Extensive sampling of the stormwater network was used to identify the most contaminated locations, and these areas have been prioritized for comprehensive investigation, including CCTV, smoke testing, dye testing, and private property inspections.
The investigation to date has identified 21 confirmed issues or faults that are contributing in some way to the water quality issues on the beach.
Issues and faults
The issues identified so far include illegal connections to both networks from private properties, damaged pipes and manholes, and network blockages due to cooking fat and tree roots.
Broken pipes were found where the public toilets on the beachfront connect to the wastewater network. Works to repair these pipes have begun and are estimated to take around a week. The toilets will be closed while this work takes place and alternative portable toilets will be made available. Plans for new toilets are underway.
As investigations continue around the beach area over summer, it is expected that other similar faults are likely to be identified that will require remediation. The local community needs to play their part in ensuring their drainage is correctly connected.
Mayor Goff says, “Takapuna is a beautiful inner-city beach and we want to keep it that way. Our investigations have confirmed that damaged pipes are contributing to the problem and we’re fixing them as a priority with funding from the water quality targeted rate.
“The council expects to find more issues such as damage from tree roots and illegal connections that are contributing to poor water quality on Takapuna Beach and will tackle these as the root causes are confirmed.
“Safeswim has provided us with the most precise and up-to-the-minute understanding of water quality in our city’s history. It has helped us target and tackle contamination issues at our beaches and we are already seeing benefits with long-term public health warnings at four beaches in Manukau removed this week,” says Mayor Goff.
Find out more about the water quality at your local beach on the Safeswim website.
Working hard
North Shore Councillor Richard Hills says that the council is working hard to address the challenges the beach faces.
“Last summer, Safeswim finally gave us the ability to identify the problems with water quality across Auckland.
“It was the first time that we could look at the overall picture and see where issues were prevalent, which meant that we were able to get on and start work to fix them.
“This isn’t an easy fix and there are multiple issues that need addressing that have built up over a significant period.”
Targeted rate
Councillor Hills says this work has been enabled in part through the water quality targeted rate that was introduced in the 10-year budget earlier this year.
“As a result of the rate, we have been able to take immediate steps to start rectifying some of the issues at the beach, but this is not going to be a quick fix,” he says.
“The council family is determined to get on top of the issues and ensure that Takapuna beach can be used safely and enjoyed by Aucklanders in future years.
"I grew up on this beach and still use it today. It’s a fantastic community asset and I will be swimming there this summer. As a precaution I encourage all Aucklanders who want to enjoy our beaches, to check Safeswim before they swim.”
