Hawke's Bay swimiming spot warning lifted

The Waipatiki lagoon in Hawke's Bay has been cleared of contamination and a warning for people to stay out of the water has been lifted.

The Hawke's Bay District Health Board issued the warning yesterday after excessive amounts of faecal matter were found in the water at the swimming spot.

However, Medical Officer of Health for Hawke's Bay DHB Richard Hoskins said a re-sampling by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council had shown much lower levels of bacteria in the lagoon, and the levels were now within the recommended national recreational water guidelines.

Dr Hoskings said the council would continue to monitor the waterway through summer.

The Hastings District Council said the high level of contamination may have been due to local bird or agricultural activities.

- NZPA