| Sewage contamination at Wellington beach |
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stuff.co.nz Swimmers were being urged to stay away from Owhiro Bay waters with pollution-warning signs being erected by Wellington City Council this afternoon, following the detection of possible sewage contamination. The presence of enterococci - an indicator of microbiological pollution, including sewage - was found during water-quality monitoring over the past two days. The level was likely to cause a health hazard. Wellington City Council infrastructure planning manager Maria Archer said "the source of the contamination is not obvious. Water samples are being taken at various points in the Owhiro Stream and local sewer mains are being checked as a matter of urgency". Health problems associated with ingestion of contaminated water with enterococci include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting. Cuts and skin lesions could become infected as well. As people were to stay clear of the Owhiro water until further notice, in the Greater Wellington area, Rona Bay in Eastbourne and Hutt River at Birchville were reopening for swimmers. Both waters were off-limits because of potential health risks last week - Rona Bay had high levels of bacteria, and the river returned counts of E.coli above the recommended guidelines. The causes for the contaminations have not been identified. |
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