Pee’d off! Freedom campers polluting lakes, as another sewage leak closes beach
It's been a free for all this summer with freedom camping rules forcibly relaxed – budget travellers washing, shaving and shampooing and lakeside bush pooing, even cleaning greasy frying pans and dishes in our once pristine waters.
One young overseas man was even spotted diligently recycling after a barbecue at Moke Lake recently by washing bloodied plastic meat trays amongst children and others swimming.
Residents and some leaders say it’s up to authorities like Queenstown Lakes District Council to get out and do something about the problem amid growing concerns over the degradation of Lake Wakatipu water quality.
Park Street residents adjacent to Queenstown Gardens have had enough, as has Jack’s Point resident Jens Richter who complained to QLDC recently about long-stay freedom campers washing themselves, their clothing and dirty frying pans, in the lake at picturesque Homestead Bay.
“The council said it’s nothing to do with them. It’s LINZ (Land and Information NZ) land and they can’t get involved,” Richter says. The freedom campers in vans had also been “pooping in the bushes”, he says. “It’s a health hazard as contractors have just been putting bores in along that foreshore to ensure safe drinking water as the area grows in future.”
He even supplied photos of the campers washing their dirty dishes in the lake. Thankfully, a bit of a southerly blast and some local media attention saw them move on.
“Most land is either LINZ or DOC around the lake, but it’s still got to be protected,” Richter says. “The council should take ownership to protect our water and beaches and educate if they can’t enforce, not rely on landowners, certainly not government agencies like LINZ.
“We need a plan to protect our lakes which are our greatest assets,” Richter says.
Freedom camping reports double
The council has been swamped with almost double the number of reports and queries dobbing in freedom campers – 233 this summer, with its eight summer ambassadors slapping 345 fines on rule breakers, ranging from $400 to $800. (Freedom Camping Act infringements 286-$400); Reserves Act infringements 59-$800)
Ambassadors made more than 2300 visits to freedom camping ‘hotspots’ district-wide and Mayor Glyn Lewers is encouraging the public to keep reporting what they see. This could be something as simple as using non-self-contained vehicles, which isn’t permitted, camping on a reserve, or illegally parking, he says.
Freedom camping is not permitted anywhere on LINZ land in the district. “LINZ has the power to appoint enforcement officers to enforce these requirements,” a council spokesperson says. Council ambassadors often visit LINZ land to educate campers on the dos and don’ts.
Cross connection leaks sewage into Frankton Bay
All this as the council erected its third ‘Health Warning’ sign on the popular main Frankton Beach last Thursday (6 March) warning swimmers of pollution from yet another cross connection. That's when plumbers and contractors unwittingly connect pipes from new developments into the stormwater system, rather than the council's sewage system.
Otago Regional councillor and former district councillor Alexa Forbes is annoyed that yet another ‘cross connection’ has occurred and wants to know why, after receiving reports of others several months ago.
While she’s frustrated at freedom camper behaviour, Forbes says there’s no point in blaming them. “We’re probably not doing enough to educate them about behaviour around our waters when they arrive in NZ.
“There will be a lot more lake pollution coming from these cross connections and it needs to come onto the agenda, how ORC and QLDC can work together to stop this.”
People were still swimming around the Frankton Beach ‘Warning’ sign, so signs are clearly ineffective, Forbes says.
“Just plonking a sign there and saying it’s polluted isn’t enough. More needs to be done to ensure it never gets polluted.”
Rees Hotel CEO Mark Rose has asked the two councils if a ‘warning system’ can be set up and transmitted to accommodation providers for times when the lake is “unswimmable”.
“This would be a ‘failsafe’ for signs put up and left up for no reason, or as a ‘just in case’,” he says. “This gives us a chance to mitigate negative feedback from guests who believe New Zealand is clean and green.
“Cross connections are a major issue, and the regulator needs to take action against those who get it wrong (connect sewerage to stormwater), as the downside, as we’ve seen, is massive."
Lewers says the March 6 ‘Health Warning’ sign was in response to a cross connection that occurred on a private property where wastewater is incorrectly connected to stormwater pipes. This resulted in wastewater being discharged into Lake Wakatipu near Frankton Marina via the stormwater network.
Warning signage was erected at Frankton Beach as a precaution given its proximity to Frankton Marina and high recreational use. The cross connection was repaired on Tuesday (11 March) and water test results were due back on Friday (14 March).
