Brian Anderson The Western Front www.sunlive.co.nz

The environment has only one pollutant. It is called people.

Take away people and we can have a pristine, uncontaminated masterpiece of nature that should only be enjoyed from a respectful distance. Think of the thousands who have looked down on Matakana Island beaches and offered a silent prayer that no-one will be allowed to ‘develop' that magnificent stretch of coastline.

Mount Maunganui's beach must have been like Matakana but it degenerated into a scruffy holiday resort and a bach town and has been replaced by a compromise environment capable of coping with a port facility and the large population around Tauranga. At the other end of the harbour, Waihi Beach is still victim to the early clumsy unplanned settlement and abuse of the environment. The Waihi Beach Community Board meeting topics last week included examples of the consequences of piecemeal planning on the environment.

Warning signs against swimming at the mouths of the Two and Three Mile Creeks are unacceptable for any holiday resort. The district council representative reported that the problem was caused by nutrient-rich water from the farmland catchment behind the town contaminating the sewerage plant. This problem then is with the regional council and the problem continues.

The recent storm bombs revealed deficiencies in the overall stormwater control planning and flooding was extensive in some areas. The bomb was dismissed as five year event until someone mentioned that it was the third event in three weeks. A local resident then challenged the five year category and named an area that had never flooded in the previous 40 years. The town has some areas that are acknowledged as flood prone but this is just another way of saying that previous town planning was a mess and any stormwater solution would be too expensive.

The streams modified by property developers in the past are now trying to reclaim their original courses. A combination of misbehaving streams and rock walls on the beach have played havoc with the beach profile. Dunes have been formed, planted and have disappeared within weeks. A number of strange steps and rope ladders designed to give access to the continuously shifting beach have proved unsatisfactory and a number of properties are threatened.

The Maranui residential development above the town has houses and driveways on 30 of the 90 sections and the storm water design is already showing signs of overloading. There is a suspicion that if any more houses are built, the overloaded system could replicate the Omokoroa design shortfalls and cause more problems for the town below.

Waihi has a wonderful beach but its town is still victim to the old Bay of Plenty bach mentality with piecemeal planning and unresolved problems that threatens the stability of parts of the town. Many residents distrust the current planning as it is becoming obvious that with climate change and the changing weather patterns all of our playgrounds could be under threat sooner than we think. Council cannot be responsible for all of the problems. Controlling and protecting our own immediate community environment is everyone's responsibility and our local knowledge and input is essential for any successful local government programmes.