Pilot Bay water test results within safe levels

Water is safe to swim and precautionary health warning signs will be removed at Pilot Bay. Photo / File

Water quality testing at Pilot Bay has today shown results well under recreational guideline recommendations.

This means the water is safe to swim and precautionary health warning signs will be removed.

Samples were taken at several points along Pilot Bay on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following the wastewater overflow on Sunday evening.

Tauranga City Council said water quality testing was undertaken in line with the 'microbiological water quality guidelines for recreational water'.

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Water samples are tested for Enterococci which is used as an indicator of possible sewage contamination. The presence of Enterococci in marine water can suggest that pathogenic microorganisms might also be present and that swimming might be a health risk.

Test results today were well within safe levels.

This overflow was caused when a wet wipe/fat blockage caused wastewater to spill into the stormwater network that reaches Pilot Bay.

The council said today overflows came at the expense of the community as well as the environment and were not a good look for visitors to the area.

The council will run its third 'Save our pipes from wipes' summer campaign this year, reminding residents and visitors to bin not flush wipes. The campaign has so far resulted in a 40 per cent reduction of overflows caused by wet wipes.

Members of our community who rent out accommodation are encouraged to remind guests to bin their wipes not flush them.

For more information about the issue wet wipes cause when flushed and Tauranga City Council's 'Save our pipes from wipes' campaign, visit here.