NZ'S clean green image

[Ernie]

I will be very interested to know what has caused this, any ideas?  It sure isn't looking good for the "clean green" image of New Zealand that we all know and love.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/9374354/River-runs-orange

[Ianab]

There are big deposits of natural ochre (Iron Oxide) around Mt Egmont. It was mined by the early Maori people to make paint (body and canoe). There is a small stream up by Dawson Falls that runs that colour all the time.

The agree with the guys guess, a slip up on the Mt has dumped a heap of bright orange mud into the headwaters of the river.

Yellow Ochre is exactly that shade of yellow.  :P

Ian

[Ernie]

Thanks Ian

[Ianab]

This is a pic of that stream. You can see all the rocks stained yellow by the ochre in the water.



It's "clean", just "Clean Yellow"  :D

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Well, the Eskimos said "Don't eat yellow snow."

I'd add "Don't drink yellow water!"

:D

Herb

[Ianab]

Yeah, about that...

The river supplies drinking water to New Plymouth city 

But I read they have shut down the water intake and just using the lake storage while it's being sorted out.

Ian