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Catchment environmental monitoring report: 2009/10

TR 2010/33
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Report: TR 2010/33

Author: C Littler, N Crawford and R Hill

Abstract

As part of Project Watershed and Peninsula Project implementation, the Catchment Environmental Monitoring (CEM) Programme was developed to demonstrate the long term benefits of soil conservation. To date, monitoring has been established in selected
priority catchments for soil conservation in the Waipa, Lower Waikato, Upper Waikato and Coromandel management zones.

The Catchment Environmental Monitoring (CEM) programme allows Waikato Regional Council:

  • demonstrate the long term benefits of soil conservation and river management work
    programmes
  • better utilise resources and leverage opportunities to co-ordinate monitoring
    internally and externally (such as within Waikato Regional Council, NIWA and Landcare
    Research.)
  • integrate new monitoring requirements into existing regional monitoring networks.

Prior to the CEM programme, soil conservation implementation relied on regional monitoring information being reinterpreted at a catchment scale. However, this information is often misleading because regional scale information is being applied at a
finer scale (catchment scale). This report provides CEM programme results for the 2009/2010 year.

Catchment environmental monitoring report: 2009/10 [PDF, 822 KB]

Contents
  Acknowledgements i
 1 Introduction 1
 1.1 Background 1
 1.2 Report content 1
 1.3 Monitoring approach 1
1.4 Management zone boundaries 1
2 Monitoring information 4
3 Lower Waikato zone 5
3.1 Introduction 5
3.2 Matahuru catchment 5
3.2.1 Monitoring progress 5
3.2.2 Soil stability 5
3.2.3 Riparian characteristics 5
3.2.4 Water temperature 8
3.2.5 Photo points 10
3.2.6 Suspended sediment 10
3.2.7 Main points 11
4 Upper Waikato zone 13
4.1 Introduction 13
4.2 Pokaiwhenua catchment 13
4.2.1 Soil stability 13
4.2.2 Riparian characteristics 13
4.3 Mangare catchment 20
4.3.1 Stream ecological health 24
4.3.2 Main points 25
4.4 Tahunaatara catchment 27
4.4.1 Monitoring progress 27
4.4.2 Water temperature 27
4.4.3 Photo points 28
4.4.4 Stream ecological health 28
4.4.5 Main points 29
5 Waipa zone 30
5.1 Introduction 30
5.2 Mangatutu catchment 30
5.2.1 Monitoring progress 30
5.2.2 Riparian characteristics 30
5.2.3 Water temperature 30
5.2.4 Photo points 32
5.2.5 Suspended sediment 32
5.2.6 Stream ecological health 33
5.2.7 Main points 34
5.2.8 Other monitoring 34
6 Coromandel  zone 35
6.1 Introduction 35
6.2 Wharekawa catchment 35
6.2.1 Monitoring progress 35
6.2.2 Riparian characteristics 35
6.2.3 Water temperature 35
6.2.4 Photo points 36
6.2.5 Suspended sediment monitoring 36
6.2.6 Stream ecological health 37
6.2.7 Main points 38
6.2.8 Other monitoring 38
  References 39
  Appendix 1: Riparian characteristics summary 40
  Appendix 2: Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) 43