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Tuesday • FEBRUARY 18 • 2014
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Above and below: some of the areas at Lions Lake last Tuesday before Council cleaned up. The Post had a water sample tested last week which revealed E. coli in the water. Parents are encouraged to keep children from coming into contact with the water in the lake. Meanwhile, Council is awaiting results from further tests.
Classics on display
Around 200 classic and vintage vehicles were displayed at a private home on Sunday, with the public invited for free.
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Hot action on the way Karioitahi will play host to the final round of the national Thundercat Champs this weekend, with three local teams in action. PAGE
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No official cause for aquatic deaths Auckland Council says it has yet to determine what has caused a rash of aquatic deaths in the Lions lake stormwater pond in Waiuku - deaths which have been repeated at two other areas in the town - but which a Franklin bird expert says is ‘almost certainly’ botulism. The Post Newspaper was alerted to the issue by a member of the public who found dead and dying ducks last week, and took one to a local vet clinic, where it had to be put down. On Tuesday morning, we went to the lake and found around 40 dead ducks, eels and fish, some of which had been washed down the River Lane area towards the Waiuku Estuary. We also found one area in particular which was virtually stagnant and had a collection of dead creatures, some of which had been reduced to virtual skeletons. Pollution Hotline staff arrived at the lake after we contacted them that afternoon and took samples of the water. Council said its pollution response team tested both the ammonia and Ph levels of the lake and both these tests came back within normal levels. Pokeno bird expert Robyn Samson, who has dealt with bird issues for 17 years and was part of the SPCA Birdwing group, says the indications are that it is botulism, given
Pukekohe on show The annual Pukekohe A and P Show was held last weekend, with a celebration of rural life. Janine Baalbergen was there with her camera to record the event.
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there is no information indicating previous or current recreational use at the site. For these reasons, the pond would not have been considered under the regional Safeswim programme review in 2011,” a council spokesperson said. “Additionally, stormwater ponds collect water from not only the surrounding parkland but also surrounding roads and other areas of human development. This means the water will contain a range of things, including pet mess and pollutants such as oil washed off roads that make it completely unsuitable for use for swimming or any other contact recreational activity. “Parents are advised not to allow children to enter the water, although the water does not present a risk to those remaining out of the water.” Council adds, as a precaution, warning signs have been put up at the stormwater pond, and testing was undertaken to assess the general water quality further. “Once the test results are back this information will be publicly available,” the spokesperson said. “The state of the water in the stormwater pond presents no health risk to users of the reserve itself.” Council is investigating potential causes for the deaths of the eels, fish and ducks at the stormwater pond, including weather condition impacts,” the spokesperson said.
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the death toll, the climatic conditions, and the fact that it is ducks that are bearing the brunt of the outbreak. She says the botulism itself is likely not to present a major danger to the public, although contact with the organisms with open wounds or cuts could cause health issues. She says botulism is a neurotoxin, which paralyses the ducks, who head to shallow water as they are unable to fly from the lake. Having seen the effects in other areas, Robyn says one way to mitigate the effects is to place baarley straw in the water prior to the hot weather of summer, however it is understood this procedure has not been in place for the Waiuku Lake. Council staff attended the Lake last week and cleared the carcasses and also tidied up the most polluted area, but more bird deaths were reported as the week went on, with another two ducks, and a number of eels reported dead in a nearby pond area. Robyn says the dead ducks need to be collected by SPCA or Council and incinerated, as burying them leaves the botulism in the ground. When the Post visited the lake, we noted a family having a picnic nearby, and asked Council whether the Lake is tested for water quality. “Council does not carry out routine testing for E. coli at this stormwater pond as
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