The ability to swim safely in our rivers and lakes is a cornerstone of the kiwi lifestyle and New Zealand’s tourism industry. With declining national water quality, this can no longer be taken for granted, and many of our recreational waterways are deemed unsuitable for swimming.

Debates about how to define ‘swimability’, and how to protect this value in a river or lake, came to a head in 2017 when new and somewhat confusing measures to assess and protect human health while swimming were proposed.

This upcoming UC Connect public lecture will examine why there is concern about safe swimming in our freshwaters, what is being done about it, and what can be done to improve your chances of enjoying a refreshing dip without risking your health.

Professor Jenny Webster-Brown is the director of the Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management, a joint University of Canterbury – Lincoln University centre dedicated to improving the management of precious freshwater resources through training, education and research. She has worked as a water quality scientist in New Zealand for more than 35 years, for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), ESR (the Institute of Environmental Science and Research), the University of Auckland and now in Canterbury. She is also a keen swimmer.

UC Connect public lecture: To swim or not to swim? That is the question…, Professor Jenny Webster-Brown, Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management, 7pm on Thursday, 17 May 2018 at the C Block lecture theatre, Ilam campus, University of Canterbury.

Register to attend free at: www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect

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