Marlborough's Cleanest Swimming Pools

The Council’s weekly summer-time testing of the water quality of our rivers and beaches has just finished, and will resume again in November.

Every summer the Council tests water from 13 river swimming spots and 18 beaches with results published on the Council website so people know where the water is best for swimming. Of all the testing sites in the summer of 2010-11, the consistently best water quality results were shown at Marfells Beach, Mistletoe Bay and Te Mahia.

The water monitoring summary (2010-11) has just been completed and the data will be used to grade our beaches and rivers for recreational use. That report is also on the Council website.

Our rivers can get a high bacteria load during wet weather and even beaches are affected by very heavy rainfall. Pollution from agriculture, in particular cattle, is the biggest threat to recreational water quality in Marlborough

Help protect Marlborough’s water quality

• Keep stock out of waters to prevent faecal contamination
• Ensure sewage from boats and campervans is disposed of correctly
• Maintain septic tanks properly so they can cope with increased volumes