Hutt River at Silverstream Bridge
The Hutt River at Silverstream Bridge is located in the middle upper reaches of the Hutt River at Silverstream. The site is publicly accessible from the Eastern Hutt Road or the Hutt River Trail, and is a popular picnic spot.
This site is monitored as a part of Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Recreational Water Quality Programme, which is specifically designed to inform the public about the suitability of various sites across the region for swimming and other recreational activities.
During the summer months, the reach from 800m upstream down to this site can be severely affected by toxic algae blooms. When the algal mats detach from the rocks they tend to accumulate in the slow flowing areas and along the shore. Be extra vigilant if walking your dog in this area during the summer. Note that any toxic algae warnings for this site apply to the reach from the bridge to approximately 800m upstream.
The safety of water for swimming is determined by measuring ‘faecal indicator bacteria’ (E. coli) which indicates the likely levels of pathogens in the water. Monitoring is conducted on a weekly basis over the summer months (December to March).
It is generally safe to swim at this site during dry weather. However the site is known to be affected by faecal contamination from urban run-off following heavy or prolonged rainfall. We therefore advise people not to swim for at least two days after heavy rain.
The site can also be affected by cyanobacteria (also known as 'toxic algae') blooms during the summer. For the latest toxic algae warnings and other water quality information, please go to the GWRC website, or check out the latest recreational water quality reports.
Some sites have telemetry monitoring systems in place that can provide up to the minute data. At this site the following live data measurements are available. Click on the data type for more information.
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