Pollution & Litter
Pollution and litter on beaches is unattractive, is a potential health hazard and can harm wildlife. Most coastal pollution originates on land and is washed down to the sea via stormwater drains - they are drain directly to the sea and therefore anything poured down them ends up washed on to our beaches.
If you notice any pollution such as oil or sewage on the beach please contact us.
You can help to keep our beaches clean and safe by;
- Take all your rubbish away with you
- Take care not to pollute our stormwater drains…wash your car on the lawn, dispose of unwanted chemicals such as cleaning and garden products responsibly. See our Waste & Recycling pages for more details [LINK]
- Use environmentally friendly cleaning products that will biodegrade quickly
- Avoid the overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in your garden
If you would like to organise a beach clean up please contact our Environmental Education Coordinator who will who will be able to assist you by providing rubbish bags, health and safety advice and information on how to dispose of the litter collected.
The Sir Peter Blake Trust aims to inspire awareness of the marine environment and has developed a Clean up Our Coast kit, providing schools and community groups with information about marine litter and details of how your rubbish collection data can be recorded and analysed. The kit can be downloaded from the Sir Peter Blake Trust website
Mangroves
In some areas mangroves form a valuable component of estuarine ecosystems, and can play an important role in protecting the shoreline from erosion. At the same time it is acknowledged that in many estuaries and harbours mangroves have increased substantially over the last 50 years, largely in response to the increased levels of sediment from the adjoining land entering the coast. The only effective way to address this issue in the longer term is through the integrated management of both the land (catchment) and coast.
Sand extraction
Sand is primarily used in the production of concrete and asphalt for roads and other cement based products.
There are currently four permits that provide for sand extraction from the coastal marine area in Rodney: Two permits at Pakiri totalling 76,000m3 per year and two permits at the entrance to the Kaipara Harbour totaling 400,000 m3 per year. Sand from the Kaipara Harbour entrance currently contributes over 50% of the concrete sand requirements for Auckland.
Flooding & Tsunamis
The coastal environment is an area that is constantly changing and adapting to inputs from the sea and land. The result is coastal erosion due to sea and wind action, dune building and dune removal, landslips, and flooding from the sea and estuaries. Coastal erosion is the long-term landwards translation of the coastline.
The east coast beaches tend to be prone to erosion under storm conditions (eg. Omaha, Snells Beach, Algies Bay, Orewa, and most of the beaches on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula).
There are a number of areas which are prone to inundation by the sea. Historically, large areas of the coast, mainly along the shores of the Kaipara Harbour, were reclaimed. These areas flood frequently, but there is a minimal threat to human life and property. In a number of cases, such as at Point Wells, Manly Beach and Orewa, urban development has occurred in very low-lying areas, which are almost at sea-level or in the case of parts of Stanmore Bay, where development has occurred below sea-level, making them prone to the possibility of inundation. Flooding also occurs when heavy rainfall coincides with high tides, low pressure weather systems and specific winds which drive the waves inland up estuaries or rivers. The Kaipara and Hoteo Rivers, and the Orewa estuary are typically affected in these conditions.
The Council is required by law to consider flood hazards and to put information about potential flooding risks on Land Information Memoranda (LIMs) and Project Information Memoranda (PIMs). Generally, low-lying areas near major waterways or harbours are at risk of flooding – see maps below:
View East Coast Maps
View West Coast Maps
For details on the rules about building and developing property that may be at risk from flooding please visit our Building pages or contact us.
Identifying flooding risk is a precautionary measure that is required by law. In most areas, the actual risk is relatively small. In severe weather conditions and if threatened by a tsunami, the weather service and civil defence provide advanced warnings to the public to ensure personal safety.
