LAWA provides the most comprehensive recreational water quality information in New Zealand for you to use as a guide in deciding when and where to swim. The swim icons presented on LAWA show how water quality test results compare to national swim guidelines.
Alongside checking the water quality information, we recommend that you:
- Check that water is clean and clear, and avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after heavy or prolonged rainfall, even at sites that usually have good water quality.
- Know what toxic algae (cyanobacteria) looks like in rivers and lakes and do not swim in areas where it is present.
- Avoid swimming near potential sources of contamination such as flocks of birds, storm water or waste water outlets.
- Don't swim if the water smells unpleasant.
- Follow the advice of any warning signs in place.
- Know your limits and never swim alone. Our lakes, rivers, and beaches are great natural playgrounds but they can be unpredictable. Check for potential risks such as rips, strong currents, sudden drop offs, or underwater objects before jumping in. If in doubt, stay out.
Latest result
The circle shaped swim icon shows the recent water quality result from weekly water quality monitoring or the current predicted risk.
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Suitable for swimming. This site met the water quality guidelines for faecal indicator bacteria and/or potentially toxic algae when sampled, OR the predicted result is that this site has a low health risk and likely to meet water quality guidelines for swimming. |
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Caution advised. Water quality usually suitable for swimming, but young children, elderly or those with compromised health may be at increased risk. For lakes and rivers that are routinely monitored for potentially toxic algae – this site exceeded the surveillance criteria when recently tested. Avoid contact where potentially toxic algae is present. |
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Unsuitable for swimming. This site did not meet the water quality standards for faecal indicator bacteria when sampled, OR the predicted result is that this site has a high health risk and is unlikely to meet water quality guidelines for swimming. For lakes and rivers that are routinely monitored for potentially toxic algae - this site exceeded the action level criteria when recently tested. Avoid contact with the water and potentially toxic algae on the edge of the water. |
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Not available. The predicted data is temporarily unavailable, or the weekly monitoring result is more than 2 weeks old (or more than 3 weeks old for toxic algae).
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Councils test the water quality of popular swim sites each week over the recreational bathing season. These results provide a snapshot of what the water quality was like at the time of sampling. Sites in the Auckland, Northland and Wellington regions are modelled to predict water quality. This provides a 'real-time' prediction about the current water quality at a site. Results are shown against national water quality guidelines - see the Recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand factsheet for more.
Special status
The special status category is used for sites that are no longer regularly monitored and have enough historical data to assign a long-term result, or for sites with long-term or temporary water quality issues.
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Suitable for swimming. This represents some of the best recreational water quality sites in New Zealand. A site assigned this status has been shown over a number of years and conditions to have water quality that is considered excellent for swimming. These sites have met the following criteria:
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Caution advised. Current conditions at this site may pose an elevated risk to swimmers. This site may be experiencing temporary water quality issues or is known to be susceptible to intermittent toxic algae blooms from time to time. See the site page for more information on why a site has been assigned this special status. |
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Unsuitable for swimming. This site has a history of poor water quality or has been temporarily assigned this status due to a recent event causing water quality issues (e.g. a pollution event, a potentially toxic algal bloom, etc) or if the site has otherwise been determined unsuitable for swimming by local authorities. See the site page for more information on why a site has been assigned this special status. |
Long-term grade
The square shaped swim icons show the long-term grade. This is calculated from the weekly monitoring results for faecal indicator bacteria collected over the previous five years, and is a precautionary risk guide to water quality at a site over the recreational bathing season. Long-term grade swim icons are shown by default when there are no recent monitoring results available.
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Excellent. This represents some of the best recreational water quality sites. A site assigned this status has been shown over a number of years and conditions to have water quality that is considered excellent for swimming.
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Good. This represents sites that usually meet water quality guidelines, and water quality is considered generally suitable for swimming. |
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Fair. This represents sites in New Zealand that sometimes exceed the water quality guidelines, and water quality is often suitable for swimming. To better understand the risk at this site, we recommend looking at the monitoring history. |
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Poor. This represents sites that occasionally or frequently exceed water quality guidelines. To better understand the risk at this site, we recommend looking at the monitoring history or contacting the council for more information. |
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Not available. There are not enough monitoring data to calculate a long-term grade for this site. |
Long-term grades are determined using national guidelines - see the Recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand factsheet for more information.
Reminder - water quality can change
When deciding where and when to swim, we advise that you check to see that the water is clean and clear, and to avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after significant rain. At some sites, LAWA can access nearby real-time rainfall or river flow data. At these sites, the raindrop icon will appear when there has been enough rainfall to potentially affect the water quality.
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Conditions may have changed. There has been significant rain since the water quality was last tested. This may have affected the water quality at this site. |
More information
- Faecal indicator bacteria (Enterococci and E. coli) factsheet
- Toxic algae factsheet
- Recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand factsheet