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The Problem for our Living Rivers


In September 2004 Fish & Game New Zealand organised a seminar in Timaru to examine, with various experts, the state of our rivers.  The organisation was so concerned at the evidence produced that it joined with Federated Mountains Clubs, Forest and Bird and the Canoeing Association to raise awareness with the public and politicians of the threats New Zealand’s rivers face and the need for urgent action.

There have been reports from a range of Government agencies identifying rivers for more dams, revealing high levels of waterway pollution, and attempts to weaken the environmental protection ability of the Resource Management Act. There have been more private enterprise proposals to channel our wild rivers into hydro-energy developments when its utility as a future source of energy is highly debateable.

 

National Problems

  • Research on 229 lowland waterways found that the majority of lowland streams and rivers have levels of faecal bacteria and pollutants which are in excess of Health Ministry guidelines. (NIWA Report 2004)
  • "Most rivers in farming areas, particularly in lowlands, generally fail to meet recommended guidelines as a result of contamination from increased nutrients, turbidity and animal faecal matter" (PCE Report 2004)
  • Lowland rivers in agriculturally developed areas are in poor condition due to high nutrients, turbidity, and faecal contamination."  (NIWA Report 2002)
  • The Ministry of Economic Development, this year, in a report called “Waters of National Importance - Identification of Potential Hydroelectric Resources” identifies 65 rivers as highly suitable for damming.
  • Most Regional Councils implicate agriculture and intensification of farming as the main cause of poor water quality and habitat in the waterways of their region.–(NIWA Report 2002)
  • New Zealand streams in areas of dairying farming are in poor condition. Specific yields of total nitrogen and nitrate are much higher than previously reported for NZ pasture catchments – (NIWA Report 2002)
  • Wetlands, New Zealand’s most important habitat for wild fowl have almost been wiped out in the last 100 years through agricultural and commercial development. Since European settlement 90 percent of wetlands have been drained or reclaimed for housing and commercial developments. Wetlands are part of river systems as they store flood water and filter out contaminants from river water.
  • New Zealand’s original freshwater wetlands have declined from 672,000 hectares to 100,000 hectares in the mid 1970s (Landcare Research). There has been further destruction of wetlands since the 1970s. For example, in Northland between 1978 and 1983 a further 15 percent or (3,175) hectares were drained (State of the Environment Report)

  • 2003 Annual Report by government chief executives on the implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy warned that, “At the current level of effort, and with existing knowledge, the rate of decline [of freshwater species] is likely to increase over time, with a resulting loss of species from some locations and extinctions of some species (pg 45).”

 

Regional Problems

  • In the Waikato $63 million of nitrogen fertiliser is lost each year. (PCE Report 2004)
  • Southland - 2003 10 river bathing sites monitored 4 were good or very good, 5 were poor and 1 was very poor. However in the 2003-4 year 7 out of the ten had "high bacterial levels on one or more occasions" (PCE Report 2004)
  • Waikato - 2002 study found E-Coli concentrations in 53 of 73 stream and river sites exceeded the guideline for freshwater recreation. (PCE Report 2004)
  • 54% of Canterbury’s rivers are in fair, poor, or very poor condition (ECan Report)
  • Several Rotorua lakes suffer blue-green algae(cyanobacteria). Toxins in some of the algae can cause liver and nervous system problems, skin rashes, hay fever and asthma attacks. The scale of algae growth has been caused by excess nutrient run off from septic tanks, fertilisers etc into the lakes.
  • In the Sherry River, Tasman District, there was a 50% increase in suspended sediment and a 400% increase in E.coli after a herd of cows crossed a stream to and from a milking shed. Two hundred and forty six cows deposited 37 kg of faeces on two crossings of the stream –(NIWA Report 2002)
  • Concentrations of E.coli measured in farm drains, and 800 metres downstream of a pond discharge, in the Waikato region were up to 1000 cfu/100ml and 20,000 cfu/100ml –(NIWA Report 2002)
  • In a study of four dairy farmlets in the Waikato it was found that nitrate leaching and in particular cow urine was the main source of nitrogen leaching into streams (NIWA Report 2002)
  • Excessive faecal contamination is a problem for many Southland rivers and contact recreation with lowland rivers is not safe –(NIWA Report 2002)
  • Otago Regional Council has reported that both dairy shed effluent and diffuse source nutrient enrichment from pasture were significantly affecting water quality in 1994 –(NIWA Report 2002)
  • Environment Waikato surveyed 198 stream sites in its region. Nearly half the sites in developed catchments (agriculture, horticulture, urban) were either moderately or severely degraded according to biological monitoring results–(NIWA Report 2002)
  • Three Auckland Lakes have very poor water quality. Two of them suffer from turbidity and high levels of nutrients due to agriculture. A third has a high concentration of faecal bacteria due to stock grazing near the shoreline and waterfowl –(NIWA Report 2002)

 

 


© Living Rivers Coalition 2004. All rights reserved.