Hawke's Bay Regional Council aims to make 90 per cent of rivers swimmable by 2030

Thursday, 15 March 2018

Overall swimmability for Hawke's Bay is 64 per cent of rivers and 68 per cent of lakes. (File photo)

Ninety per cent of Hawke's Bay's rivers should be 'swimmable' by 2030 if everything goes to the regional council's plan.

The region's 'overall swimmability' is 64 per cent of rivers and 68 per cent of lakes, according to a paper that went before the Hawke's Bay Regional Council on Wednesday.

Percentage of Hawke's Bay lakes in each swimming category as at March, 2018.

Councillors adopted a staff recommendation to adopt draft targets of making 90 per cent of the region's largest rivers and 76 per cent of its lakes with perimeters greater than 1.5km swimmable by 2030.

The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management requires councils to achieve those targets by 2040.

Projected improvement in water quality for swimming in Hawke's Bay rivers.

*** Napier's Pandora Pond off limits, again, one day after being cleared

* Water in Manawatū and Whanganui area improving thanks to work on farms

* Analysis: Swimmability only part of the grim freshwater story**

Experts say it is realistic and achievable for the council to achieve those target by 2030.

The regional council has estimated a cost to council of $10.16 million a year to achieve the goal. Much of this work is already under way.

A further cost of about $4.5m is the estimated cost for landowners for things such as riparian planting, fencing etc.

The paper said there were few point source discharges in the region. Ongoing upgrades to the wastewater plants at Waipukurau and Waipawa would overcome some existing issues in terms of discharges into the Tukituki River, and Affco's resource consent to discharge into the Wairoa River was presently being discussed for renewal.

Stormwater treatment wetlands for the Napier area, including Ahuriri Estuary, could reduce the E.coli load by 80 per cent, and Napier City Council was investigating options to fix its sewerage system to prevent blowouts during storm events, the paper said.

The council said its priorities were to concentrate on improving the quality of the point discharges to rivers 'because this is of particular concern to our communities, and to continue to work with farmers to fence and plant rivers'.

Staff noted that a ratepayer survey of more than 2000 respondents last year saw 69 per cent of them say the council should spend more on waterways and aquifers.

The council will undertake further work and consultation then report back to council with a final regional target in December.