Water Quality
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Environmental report calls attention to the need for more research on water quality
An opinion editorial by NIWA Chief Scientist of Freshwater and Estuaries, Scott Larned.
The quality of New Zealand’s waterways features prominently in a newly released report on the state of our environment.
The report, Environment Aotearoa 2019 (EA2019), was prepared by the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand as required by the Environmental Reporting Act. EA2019 uses investigations from five environmental domains (land, freshwater, marine, climate and air) to report on priority issues.
Scientists make break-through in saving freshwater mussels
Doctoral student, Michele Melchior, has made an important breakthrough in the effort to save New Zealand's freshwater mussels, or kākahi.
Kākahi were once a valuable food source for Māori, and they also play a crucial role as indicators of the health of waterways. All three kakahi species in New Zealand are in decline.
Scientist collects rubbish to rid river of plastics
It may be rubbish to everyone else, but to Amanda Valois each little scrap of plastic on a river bank or in a waterway tells a valuable story.
Looking after water in our towns and cities
The Urban Water Principles report released this month is a first step in tackling some big issues in a collaborative way.
Community project inspires scientists
A project to restore a stream catchment in Kaikōura—damaged in the 2016 earthquake—is being described as inspirational by NIWA scientists.
New collaborative project on productive riparian buffers
NIWA is working with DairyNZ, Regional Councils and farmers on a new project to evaluate riparian planting options that have economic as well as environmental benefits. The project is co-funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund. Read the article Research into productive riparian buffers on the DairyNZ website, or contact Dr Fleur Matheson.
‘Swimmability’ of New Zealand rivers
Swimming is a popular activity in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Two attributes of waters that strongly affect aesthetic quality and safety for swimming are visual clarity and faecal contamination. It turns out that these two attributes are fairly well-correlated (inversely) in New Zealand rivers, such that (easily seen) visual clarity provides a rough-but-useful guide to (unseen) microbial quality.
Water storage solutions for irrigation schemes
Demand for water has intensified over the past two decades at a phenomenal rate in New Zealand. Most easy-to-abstract direct run-of-stream resources (i.e. flows without existing upstream modification) are already highly allocated in many regions. With availability of further run-of-stream resources decreasing, farmers are looking more to water storage as a way of achieving more reliable irrigation water supply. This approach allows more water to be made available at the time of need and thus enhances supply reliability.
Irrigation Insight
The Irrigation Insight programme is focussed on developing knowledge, tools and the confidence of dairy farmers in better managing irrigation, precisely applying the water needed—where, when and how much.
Freshwater macroinvertebrate trait database updated
There is growing interest in the use of freshwater macroinvertebrate species traits as an assessment tool for monitoring human impacts on stream ecosystems, but what exactly is a species trait?
Good practice guide for waste stabilization ponds: design and operation
Water New Zealand has recently published an update and expansion of the old Ministry of Works Guidelines for Oxidation Ponds 1974.
A clearer look at Te Waikoropupū Springs
Te Waikoropupū Springs near Takaka are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand, the largest cold-water springs in the Southern Hemisphere, and are nationally and internationally valued for their remarkable colour and clarity. NIWA has recently finished a project with Tasman District Council (TDC) that has estimated the current average visual clarity to be around 76 m.
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