The health of freshwater bodies being monitored across New Zealand and how it is changing over time was revealed today by the Land, Air and Water Aotearoa (LAWA) project.
LAWA Lake Science Leader Dr Jane Groom said everyone is free to check the results of freshwater monitoring in their area on the LAWA project’s environmental data website www.lawa.org.nz.
“For the first time, you can explore the health of New Zealand’s monitored lakes on an interactive map.
“The new LAWA Lake Quality topic map shows some interesting spatial patterns, especially differences in lake conditions between higher elevation lakes that are generally in good condition and lowland lakes that are in poorer condition. is.
“Our analysis found that 82% of monitored lowland lakes were in poor or very poor condition, meaning they were rich in nutrients and likely to harbor algal blooms. We do,” said Dr. Groom.
The interactive map feature has been available on the topic of water quality in the LAWA River for four years and has been used by tens of thousands of people to better understand the health of their waterways. Dr. Groom hopes that by making this feature available on lakes, more people will be able to connect with these precious bodies of water.
“Through interactive maps, people can see the status and trends of various lake health indicators and click to go to site pages to see monitoring history on nutrients, algae, bacteria and water clarity. Lakes in New Zealand. “Having freely available information about is a big step forward,” said Dr. Groom.
LAWA River Science Lead Dr Coral Grant said the scientific team is investigating the state of rivers and streams at the national level and how this changes over time and with surrounding land cover. rice field.
“A common theme in degraded lakes and strained rivers is that they are found in areas where the land is highly modified, whether they are in urban environments or pastures.
“New Zealand freshwater is highly valued for chi and recreation. Unfortunately, data shows that two-thirds of river sites have year-round monitoring.
E. E. coli is graded as Band D or E, indicating that the predicted average risk of infection for people exposed to this water is greater than 3% on any given day.
“There is no evidence of a positive change in the percentage of sites with low ratings. E. But with individual sites showing signs of improvement, change is possible,” Dr. Grant said.
Roger Young, Ph.D., freshwater science manager at the Cawthron Institute, who has been part of the LAWA project steering group for nearly eight years, says the data will inform efforts to improve freshwater.
“Analysis of New Zealand’s rivers and lakes shows that continued treatment and prevention are needed to meet our aspirations for freshwater health.
“River clarity is showing signs of improvement, but some aspects of freshwater health are slow to respond to interventions and are linked to many factors, including climate change.
“We hope that the information available at LAWA will be useful for resource managers, including mana whenua, and anyone else who is passionate about rivers and lakes,” said Dr. Young.
LAWA Chair Dr Tim Davey said the project annually updates the topic on water on the LAWA website with official results from Te Uru Kahika’s regional and unified council Aotearoa and NIWA’s monitoring program. .
“LAWA results cover several freshwater health indicators, and individual results were collected by environmental monitors, processed in independent laboratories, and recorded in a database for public and government reporting. It represents a physical sample.
“There are more monitored sites in LAWA this year than ever before and we are proud to add features to help New Zealanders better understand freshwater health. Environmental data is critical in helping us all work together on how to impact Te Mana O Te Wai and ensure healthy lakes, rivers and streams for future generations,” said Dr Davey.
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