<strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>October</strong> <strong>27</strong> <strong>2021</strong> 12 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz New test sites set up to improve understanding of waterways ELEVEN NEW water quality monitoring sites are giving the city council a better understanding of the state of rivers and streams. The Christchurch Surface Water Quality Report <strong>2021</strong> and summary brochure have just been published. The report is an analysis of monthly data collected at 51 sites across Banks Peninsula the city during 2020. The new monitoring sites are Aylmers and Balguerie Streams in Akaroa, Stream Reserve Drain and Zephyr Stream in Governors <strong>Bay</strong>, Avon-Heathcote Estuary, Cass <strong>Bay</strong>, Akaroa <strong>Harbour</strong>, and Lyttelton <strong>Harbour</strong>. Heathcote River at Warren Cres, Steamwharf Stream (Heathcote River catchment), Halswell River at Wroots Rd. Results for most monitoring sites have remained steady since 2007, with some sites improving and some worsening, said city council waterways ecologist Dr Belinda Margetts, who leads this research. The site recording the best water quality was the Ōtūkaikino TESTING TIMES: City council water ecologist Dr Belinda Margetts leads the research into water quality across the peninsula. River at the Groynes. The next best sites (jointly) were Smacks Creek at Gardiners Rd (Styx River catchment), Waimairi Stream (Avon River catchment), Avon River at Carlton Mill, Wilsons Stream (Ōtūkaikino River catchment), followed by Styx River at Gardiners Rd. The worst sites were Curletts Rd Stream at motorway (Heathcote River catchment), HEALTH: New water monitoring sites are expected to improve the quality of our rivers and streams. Nottingham Stream at Candys Rd (Halswell River catchment), Haytons Stream (Heathcote River catchment), and Addington Brook (Ōtākaro-Avon River catchment). “The Huritini-Halswell River catchment did not meet many of the water quality standards and recorded the poorest water quality,” Dr Margetts said. “One of our new monitoring sites, Nottingham Stream, has highlighted that this waterway has poor water quality. This wasn’t on our radar before and its poor water quality will be due to contaminants entering the waterway from both urban and rural land use.” The city council uses this water quality information, along with sediment quality and aquatic insect data to create waterway report cards for each of the city’s five main river catchments. The catchments are then given a score from ‘A’ (very good health) to ‘E’ (very poor health). As in the past three years, no waterway scored an A and no waterway scored an E. The The <strong>2021</strong> surface water quality report recommends the city council: • Prioritises Curletts Rd Stream, Nottingham Stream and Addington Brook for contaminant source control and stormwater treatment • Prioritises sediment control, particularly in the Heathcote River and Cashmere Stream • Cements a whole-of-community approach to addressing stormwater contaminants through the Community Waterway Partnership • Investigates faecal contamination, particularly from waterfowl, to identify how best to reduce levels • Develops an action plan for achieving the Healthy Water Bodies Community Outcome Ōtūkaikino River catchment again recorded the highest score (B), Styx River catchment scored a C and Avon River, Halswell River and Heathcote River catchments all scored a D. Dr Margetts said that like most cities, Christchurch waterways suffer from a condition known as ‘urban stream syndrome’. “Our waterways are contaminated with runoff from hard surfaces such as roofs, driveways and roads, and with faecal contaminants from waterfowl and dog droppings,” she said. “The council, other organisations and landowners are working hard to improve the health of our waterways, especially through improving the quality of the water and carrying out restoration projects, but it may take many years to see this work flow through to a big improvement in water quality.”
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Wednesday <strong>October</strong> <strong>27</strong> <strong>2021</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News 13 Mtpleasantartex