Report: Untreated sewage ruining Auckland's harbours

There’s concern at the amount of untreated sewage being washed into Auckland’s harbours. A Herald investigation revealed one million cubic litres of human and animal effluent is flowing into the ocean every year - the equivalent of 400 olympic swimming pools. It’s happening every time more than five millimetres of rain falls in the city, due to our stormwater drains being combined with our sewage drains. While the infrastructure was a great advancement when it replaced open air sewers in the early 1900’s… today it doesn’t quite stack up.Ten of Auckland’s beaches are now so polluted people are unable to swim. 95bFM producer Hannah Ross spoke to Auckland Mayor Phil Goff about the issue, while producer John-Michael Swannix spoke to, Gemma Tolich Allen, a wastewater biologist and scientific advisor for the Manukau Harbour Restoration Society, who has worked in this area for thirty years, and Dr Lokesh Padhye who is a wastewater engineer at the University of Auckland.