North and Coastal Otago
North and Coastal Otago NorthWater quality,and macroinvertebrates, Coastal Otago algae, Waterfish, quality, instream macroinvertebrates, habitat and river algae,flow fish, instream habitat and river flow July 2009 to June 2010 July 2009 to June 2010 Key points Between July 2009 and June 2010, the Water quality Otago Regional Council (ORC) monitored • Half the sites were classified 14 river and stream sites in the northern as very good and none as and coastal areas of Otago to assess the poor. current state of water quality. Sites were classified using a water quality index, and • Dunedin’s urban streams the results are shown in the map below. had high concentrations of nutrients and bacteria. • Fish species diversity averaged 7.2 species per site, which was higher than the Otago average of 5.96 species per site • Mean annual low flows were up to 80% lower than normal. • Macroinvertebrate diversity was highest in the Catlins River Water quality index ORC uses a water quality index (WQI) to report water quality. The index is derived from median values of six indicator variables: turbidity, dissolved oxygen (% saturation), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4), nitrite-nitrate Very All six values comply nitrogen (NNN), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), Good with guideline values Good Five median and Escherichia coli (E.coli) values comply bacteria. Fair Three or four median values comply Median values of the six Poor Two or fewer values are compared with median ANZECC (2000) and MfE/MoH values comply with (2003) guidelines, enabling guideline values classification of water quality into one of the four groups. Water quality references Water quality • Australian and New Zealand Selected water quality indicators are displayed in the graphs and discussed below.
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