Defecating sea lions off the coast of Dunedin are probably to blame for a spike in the amount of faecal bacteria near the Tahuna outfall.
A report tabled at this week’s Dunedin City Council infrastructure services committee meeting showed the council’s consent for its Tahuna facility was breached for the amount of faecal coliforms in shellfish and water samples.
However, the report noted higher-than-usual recordings were also recorded from samples taken from a control location unaffected by Tahuna.
At the meeting, water and waste group manager Laura McElhone said the spike was apparently a result of the growing sea lion population and nothing to do with its Tahuna facility.
● Faecal coliforms live in the digestive tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and are excreted in the faeces.
