Christchurch rowers battle sewage on Avon River

Christchurch rowers are up effluent creek.

The region's crews are unhappy about having to train with sewers emptying out into the Avon River but in the absence of other facilities, have no option other to row through.

Rowing New Zealand president John Wylie, who is based in Christchurch, said the situation was "disgusting".

ANNA PRICE/FAIRFAX NZ

Rowing New Zealand president John Wylie says is is "disgusting" that Christchurch rowers train in the Avon River, which has sewage streaming into it.

An Environment Canterbury (ECan) report released in December found Kerrs Reach, where the rowers train, and the Heathcote River's Catherine St site were polluted by human faeces while at a base flow level.

"Rowers are seeing [sewage] all the time. We have no option but to go out in it," Wylie said.

"I shudder to think of what they have to put up with."

Rowers were a hardy bunch and it was not the elitist sport people made it out to be, Wylie said.

Though they had been forced to put up with a lot since the earthquakes, he said.

McGregor Best, a 15-year-old rower for Shirley Boys' High School, has seen a lot of pollution while training on the river, including doors, a fridge and half a couch.

"It smells really bad in some places," he said.

Canterbury Rowing Club captain Michael Petherick was not able to single out one particular area of the Avon where the effluent was spilling out.

"It moves around as infrastructure works are happening," he said.

"We usually get emails warning us there is going to be an outflow."

Although it was not particularly nice to see the sewage floating about as they rowed, it had not had any detrimental effects on the rowers.

"We haven't had any problems with people getting sick."

Although the pollution problem had increased since the earthquakes, Petherick said it was nothing new.

"The Avon has always been polluted. It's never been somewhere you would go and have a swim."

ECan monitoring and compliance area leader David Noakes said the regional council was "very aware of faecal contamination in the Avon River".

He urged anyone that saw effluent in the river to contact ECan.

Noakes believed effluent getting into the river was due to infrastructure issues, including the state of pipes in the city, which fell to the city council to fix.

Christchurch City Council waters and waste manager John Mackiesaid the council was unaware of any sewage spillages into the Avon.

"Overflows are rare and when notified of problems we respond quickly to fix them," he said.

If people were aware of an issue, they should contact the council, Mackie said.

- Stuff

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