No.10 2005

Water resources outlook for autumn (March - May)
The following soil moisture levels & river flows are likely:
North and west of the North Island
normal or below normal river flows, and normal soil moisture levels
East coast of the North Island
below normal river flows, and normal or below normal soil moisture levels
Elsewhere
normal river flows and soil moisture levels

Water resources review for summer (December - February)
River flows
River flows were near or above normal over most of the North Island, apart from Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, which were drier than normal.

Contaminants in urban stormwater: how much from where?
This graph illustrates how well our model predicts zinc loads in stormwater. Click to enlarge.
Our stormwater quality monitoring for Auckland City Council and Metrowater has involved many hours inside the pipes. Pete Pattinson checks his equipment before going in.
Lorna Pelly downloading data at Blockhouse Bay.
In the past, stormwater treatment was mostly focused on controlling sediment.

New urban stormwater guideWhen NIWA scientists ran workshops for users of our urban stormwater research, they found a big need for simplified methods and guidelines on assessing the effects of urban development on stream flows and therefore on the habitat for creatures living in streams.