Wednesday, 28 September 2016 14:25

Urban waterways need focus also

Written by 
Pollution from urban stormwater is putting pressure on communities and local authorities. Pollution from urban stormwater is putting pressure on communities and local authorities.

Pollution from urban stormwater is putting pressure on communities and local authorities in their efforts to ensure our rivers and waterways remain healthy.

Water New Zealand president-elect Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner says while there has been a lot of discussion about the role of industry and agriculture, as New Zealanders, we all need to play our part in keeping our rivers healthy and clean.

Last Sunday was World Rivers Day where communities around the world celebrate waterways and look at what we all need to do to improve the stewardship of rivers.

“We need to remember that, historically, urban stormwater run-off from roads, carparks and so on was not treated before ending up in our rivers or underground waterways,” she says.

“This means that pollutants such as sediments, heavy metals, litter, cigarette butts, petrol, oil and lead all end up going untreated into a local stream or river before it gets to the sea. As well as petrol and oil, tipping things like cleaning products and paint down the drain poisons plant life and the animals that feed off it.”

However, she says there is a whole raft of simple things we can all do to lessen the impact of our activities on our waterways. These include keeping gutters free of sticks and rubbish, avoiding materials such as uncoated copper guttering and zinc roofing, cleaning up pet waste, picking up plastic bags and rubbish and washing cars on lawns.

“We want to get the message clear that washing poisons and pollutants down to underground stormwater drains does not get rid of the pollution rather it moves it to our waterways.”

In Auckland, in what has become a design and bio-engineering showcase for urban stream restoration, two tributaries of the Avondale stream have been day-lighted from their culverts in the La Rosa Reserve in Green Bay.

“This is a great example of Auckland Council designers and engineers working closely with the local community”, says Blackburn-Huettner, who alongside her role at Water New Zealand is healthy waters operations and planning manager at Auckland Council.

More like this

Fatberg

OPINION: Sydney has a $12 million milk disposal problem.

Farmers seeking end to riverbed litigation

Landowners with farms bordering the Hoteo River, north of Auckland, are hopeful their pressure will influence the outcome of two applications by local iwi relating to ownership of the riverbed.

Not so super

OPINION: Farmers in the Rodney district, nearly an hour north of Auckland, are reaching breaking point having to deal with the ‘super-city’ council, who some farmers regard as out of touch with the realities of rural life and overly officious.

Featured

'One more push' to eliminate FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.

Winston Peters questions Fonterra divestment plan

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.

National

Machinery & Products

New McHale terra drive axle option

Well-known for its Fusion baler wrapper combination, Irish manufacturer McHale has launched an interesting option at the recent Irish Ploughing…

Amazone unveils flagship spreader

With the price of fertiliser still significantly higher than 2024, there is an increased onus on ensuring its spread accurately at…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Tough times

OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.

MSA triumph

OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter