Blue Flag Accreditation Confirmed for Taranaki Beaches

New Plymouth District’s two Blue Flag beaches have had their accreditation confirmed for a third year.

Oakura and Fitzroy/East End beaches have received the tick of approval from Blue Flag International, which is run by the independent non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education.

“Having this independent verification of the environmental quality of two of our premier beaches is great news for the district’s international profile as well as local beach users,” says Manager Corporate Strategy and Policy Kate Macnaught.

“We work closely with Blue Flag International on environmental monitoring and education at the beaches, and our ultimate aim is to make sure these high standards are maintained for the benefit of future generations.”

These are the only beaches in New Zealand to have Blue Flag status.

Monitoring by Taranaki Regional Council of Oakura’s Waimoku Stream has resulted in the Taranaki District Health Board issuing a health warning due to the high count of E. coli in the stream.

However this does not affect Oakura Beach’s Blue Flag status.

“Once the stream’s water reaches the sea, the dilution is so great that there’s no effect on the sea water readings,” says Kaitake Community Board Chairman Doug Hislop.

“One plan we have for this summer is to make the stream cut right across the beach to the sea, instead of meandering along the beach for a ways, so that the stream water can be diluted as soon as possible.

“We are also working closely with the health board and TRC on further investigations on how to mitigate the issues at Waimoku Stream.”

Blue Flag works towards sustainable development at beaches and marinas, dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and other services.

In 2007 Oakura and Fitzroy/East End beaches became the first Blue Flag accredited beaches in Oceania. Under the Blue Flag programme, accreditation needs to be gained anew every year.

Subscribe to RSS feeds:
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/RSS/NewsReleases.xml