Shellfish and swimming warning lifted

Update: 17/02/2020

This warning has now been lifted

The all-clear has now been given for swimming and shellfish collection to resume on Oreti Beach and around the New River Estuary.

Water samples collected and analysed from the beach show that E. Coli levels are low.

Last week large numbers of sea cucumbers and shellfish washed up on the beach as a result of freshwater from the floods mixing with the sea and reducing the waters salinity.

On Sunday, the bulk of the debris at Oreti Beach had been washed away or picked clean.

Water quality is monitored by Environment Southland weekly over the summer period from December to March. Results are available on the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa website (www.lawa.org.nz)

13/02/2020

This is an official message from Emergency Management Southland.

People are advised to stay out of the sea in the area around the Invercargill estuary, including Oreti Beach, for the next few days as floodwaters flush out of the river.

People should also avoid an area at the Dunns Road entrance to Oreti beach, where dead burrowing sea cucumbers and shellfish are lying.

The fresh water in the floodwaters are believed to have caused the burrowing sea cucumbers and shellfish deaths on the beach. Only one or two toheroa have been seen. People are advised not to eat any of the shellfish and not to harvest for others either.

Environment Southland staff have gone out to check out the beach and have only found the shellfish in one area.

“Staff are collecting samples for analysis, but in the meantime please stay out of the water, don’t harvest shellfish and avoid the area where the dead shellfish are.”