Warning signs not necessary for now

There's been little change in the good and bad news for visitors to Lake Wiritoa and Dudding Lake.

Barry Gilliland from Horizons Regional Council said the most recent testing at the popular lakes had showed similar results to previous testings: Both lakes have high levels of non-toxic algae but low levels of toxic algae.

Mr Gilliland said samples of the blue-green algae have been sent for further laboratory testing as a precaution, but at this stage warning signs were not necessary at either of the lakes.

He said warm and settled weather had contributed to the excessive growth of the algae this summer.

Mr Gilliland said no surface scum was observed in the lakes during sampling, however, algae can often be concentrated near the surface, especially in the morning.

"Regular lake users will know the usual advice to mix the surface water up by doing a few circuits of the lake in a power boat before undertaking activities like water skiing. This simply a precaution to mix any algae into more of the lake water if it is concentrated near the surface."

Meanwhile, Wanganui's two main swimming beaches continue to be clean and safe for swimming.

Castlecliff and Kai Iwi are both colour-coded green, meaning the water should be safe for swimming and relatively free of E. coli.

However, Mowhanau Stream at Kai Iwi and the Whanganui River at the city bridge are both colour-coded red, which means there could be a health risk by swimming there.