Dozens of Auckland beaches have been declared no-swim zones due to high levels of faecal contamination.
Auckland Council has issued warnings for nearly 40 high-risk places that exceed national guidelines for swimming.
Heavy rain over the weekend inundated stormwater systems and flushed human and animal waste into the sea.
The Council's Safeswim site has issued a black alert - meaning a very high risk of illness from swimming - for North Shore's Castor Bay after it was hit by a wastewater overflow, directly contaminating the sea with human faeces.
Wastewater overflows have a significantly higher public health risk than general stormwater contamination.
According to the Safeswim site, Browns Bay has a high-risk red warning due to a fault in the wastewater network.
Other popular spots - including Takapuna and Pt Chevalier - were also given red warnings, meaning they're non-compliant and there's a greater than 2 percent chance of getting sick from swimming at a beach.
When contaminated by human or animal faeces, the water can contain disease-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa (such as salmonella, campylobacter or giardia).
These can cause illnesses including gastroenteritis, respiratory illness, ear and eye infections and skin infections.
Newshub.
