Source: Radio New Zealand
Lyall Bay beach and the rest of Wellington’s south coast has been off limits since the Moa Point treatment plant failed on 4 February. RNZ / Krystal Gibbens
Lyall Bay businesses are excited by the prospect that beaches along the south coast in Wellington could soon reopen after being off-limits since since the Moa Point treatment plant failed catastrophically pumping millions of litres of untreated sewage into the sea.
On Tuesday Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said the current blanket direction for people to stay off south coast beaches was not sustainable when water testing results showed little risk.
The impacts of the untreated sewage being discharged into the Cook Strait on south coast beaches has been monitored now for over two weeks, and Little has hinted a change in policy could be coming.
“What we are looking at being able to say to people is: ‘here are the results, this is what it shows, the risk is pretty low, you make your own decision about whether you want to go onto the beach and and have a swim in the sea’.”
The founder of Wonderland Chocolate in Lyall Bay Kate Necklen says they’ve seen less people since people have been told to stay off Wellington’s south coast. RNZ / Krystal Gibbens
A rāhui is in place on the southern coast from Ōwhiro Bay to Breaker Bay which covers anything the water touches or can touch with the high or low tides.
Anna Janiec owner of the Polish Sausage Company which is located in Lyall Bay Junction said businesses had really felt the impact of people not going to the beach in the past few weeks.
“We don’t see new people coming. There is no people wandering around. Obviously no one on the beach. People with dogs that come for walks are not here. So we can feel it.”
She said if the beaches were safe for people to return to, she would expect it to boost business.
Kate Necklen thinks plenty of surfers will want to return to the beach. RNZ / Krystal Gibbens
Kate Necklen founder of Wonderland Chocolate had also seen less people in the area.
“We’ve certainly seen less people come through our tasting room.”
“It would be awesome to see people back in the Bay and I know there’ll be plenty of surfers out there who want to get back in the water,” Necklen said.
Botanist general manager Kais Letfi said they had seen a 20-25 percent decrease in customers.
“I’ve had to cut hours, I’ve had to reduce wages,” he said.
He said they could not wait for the beaches to reopen.
“Hopefully it brings people back to Lyall Bay and we can start working again.”
Seaview Takeaways owner Vicky Shen. RNZ / Krystal Gibbens
Vicky Shen owner of Seaview Takeaways hoped that if the beaches reopened it would bring more people to Lyall Bay.
But would people even swim at the beaches if they reopened? Most of those RNZ spoke to wouldn’t be diving straight in.
“I think if I see others swimming, maybe. But I would have to be 100 percent sure that it is safe,” Janiec said.
“I’m not really a beach swimmer myself but my kids swim in the beach and they’d certainly go into the water once it reopened for sure,” Necklen said.
Shen was also willing to dip her toes back in the water, but also a little wary of getting a skin rash from bacteria in the water.
Letfi said he would put his trust in the council and swim once it was safe to do so.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
