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Waikato River at Pukete Footbridge

This site is only monitored for recreation every second year. Data from the past three monitored bathing seasons shows that the Overall Recreation Risk here is Low.

The river is lined with willows on the true left but is open and grassy on the true right. There are macrophyte beds along the true right edge of the river and the riverbed consists of sand at this point.

The Waikato River is within the city limits here and this site is downstream of the 8 hydro dams and Lake Taupo. Two kilometres downstream from this point is the Hamilton city wastewater treatment discharge point and 10km upstream is the city's water supply take. You also have the Cambridge wastewater treatment plant upstream of that point. The river then runs north of Hamilton to Mercer before heading west and out to the Tasman Sea at Port Waikato.

Landuse upstream of the monitoring site will affect the water quality. High flow events can also elevate the sediment and bacteria levels, which may lead to poor water quality and clarity.

See this site