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Frosty mornings and white mountain tops … the best things in life are freeze. In this issue, we meet our new CE and ask a groundwater scientist what they do, plus there’s snow hiding our fondness for native Galaxiids.
Grab a cuppa and chill out!
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Announcing Te Mātāpuna | The Source
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Now your ORC news will be delivered straight to your letterbox.
We have a new print newsletter, Te Mātāpuna | The Source, designed to inform you about the work we do and champion the folks we work with across this great region. Mātāpuna means ‘source’, for example, a source of information or the source of a river, stream or lake. The first issue will go out to 90,000 letterboxes across Otago at the end of this month, so keep your peepers peeled.
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Sticking up for the ‘underfish’
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A Clutha flathead galaxias (top) and a Central Otago roundhead galaxias from Māori Creek, Ida Burn
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Collaboration is key to preventing the extinction of rare galaxiids.
ORC is working closely with Otago Fish & Game, mana whenua and community groups on a project-by-project basis to protect numerous galaxiid species across Otago from extinction.
The dwindling galaxiid populations, especially those fish that are non-migratory and otherwise live entirely in only a few hundred metres of some streams, are most at risk.
ORC has created ‘galaxiid protection areas’, meaning four streams or tributaries in Otago now have fish barriers with weirs or culverts in place, with more planned in coming years.
Click here to read more about this and find out what Otago Fish and Game Council Chief Executive Ian Hadland says.
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New CE gets on board
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Otago Regional Council’s new Chief Executive, Richard Saunders, has been in the role for a few weeks now.
Richard is pictured above getting out of Lake Dunstan after training for one of his many endurance competitions, such as the Coast to Coast and Ironman events.
He trains in Otago’s lakes and harbours and on roads and trails across our beautiful region.
“I do quite a bit of thinking, especially on long bike rides,” he says.
To read more about how Richard plans to approach the role, check out the first issue of Te Mātāpuna | The Source — in your letterbox soon.
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You burn dry, we breathe easy
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Air quality often degrades during winter, due to household heating emissions, cold calm weather, and inversion layers.
ORC is currently running its annual Burn Dry, Breathe Easy campaign, encouraging people to think about their wood stack and burning, and the effects of burning wet wood on air quality and the environment.
We hope the campaign will encourage people in Otago to consider their health and that of others in their area when using wood burners. Woodsmoke pollution can be reduced when residents burn only dry wood and keep their fire hot and not smouldering. Thermally efficient homes with good insulation can potentially reduce woodsmoke pollution as well.
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Earthworks event moves mountains
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Pilot earthworks regulation information event was so well attended we’re going to roll it out across the region!
The successful free event held in Queenstown on 13 June attracted more than 90 people and gave an overview of the role ORC plays in earthworks and developments, both small and large scale.
ORC’s Manager Compliance, Tami Sargeant, says the event was targeted at businesses and contractors involved in earthworks and residential or commercial development.
A comprehensive Earthworks Guide was recently launched by ORC specifically to assist developers, contractors, and service providers in the construction industry, which can be found here.
You can also read our Earthworks for Residential Development – Good Practice Guide fact sheet.
Further assistance on consent processing is available at public.enquiries@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082.
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The ORC team who hosted the popular earthworks event in Queenstown earlier this month were from consents, compliance, investigations and environmental implementation. Back row, from left: Mark Payne, Sophie Craig, Tami Sargeant, Joon van der Linde, Shelley Reed. Front row, from left: Aisleen Dilks, Brooke Clarke, Chris McSweeney, Eve Aitken, Georgia Simmonds and Joseph Fraser.
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Otago Regional Council’s Manager Compliance Tami Sargeant speaking at the earthworks event
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ORC ABC
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S is for SHMAK tube
A SHMAK tube, or clarity tube, is a clear acrylic tube that is used to measure water clarity. SHMAK is an acronym for Stream Health Monitoring Assessment Kit.
The tube has a black magnetic slider which is moved through the tube away from the eye until it cannot be seen anymore. The clearer the water, the further away the slider can be seen.
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To try out the SHMAK clarity tube on your local waterway, contact an ORC Catchment Advisor on catchments@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082.
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Ask an ORC Scientist
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Groundwater drilling at Kauru River
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This month, we talked to one of ORC’s groundwater scientists.
What is groundwater (GW) science?
“It’s the study of how water moves through the subsurface, through fractures in rocks or through pore spaces/openings within sediments. It’s the study of the unseen, of what lies beneath. Groundwater is a body of water that exists within saturated material beneath the land surface, it typically moves slowly when compared to rivers. An aquifer is defined as having a sustainable amount of water available for extraction/use.”
How does ORC apply groundwater science to protect Otago’s environment?
“We use it to understand the GW regime in our aquifers, to inform water management, and to make sure that there is sufficient groundwater available to sustain and provide for the health of connected surface water bodies, human health needs and availability for human use. We do consent reviews to make sure water take or land use activities don’t affect groundwater quality, quantity or other people’s access to water.”
Could you say a groundwater scientist never met a bore they didn’t like?
“No. Actually, I see plenty of bores I don’t like. If they’re cracked, uncapped, surrounded by effluent or have a dead hedgehog floating inside, I’m certainly not that keen on those ones.
We are really keen for people to understand how important borehead security is to help protect the underlying groundwater.”
What’s a piece of kit commonly used by GW scientists?
“A water level dipper. It’s a big measuring tape with a sensor at the bottom. Essentially, it’s a big water level meter. When it encounters water, it makes a noise, so we know how many metres below the surface the water is.
How deep can GW be?
“It can be hundreds of metres under the ground. The Papakaio aquifer is a couple of hundred meters deep in places and is really old water — prehistoric water. The important thing to know about these sorts of aquifers is that they are very slow to recharge, so taking water out needs to be carefully managed.
Cool stuff:
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Here in Otago, a lot of our GW is really connecting to surface water. This means GW is either supplementing surface water or surface water loses some flow into GW, and this dynamic can switch. This has benefits for the creatures who live within. For example, the Kauru River, which drains into the Kākaunui, does this. In summer, when the river level is low, the native galaxiids burrow deep into the gravel of the riverbed to occupy the groundwater zone beneath (the hyporheic zone).
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Naturally occurring Fe in groundwater oxidises when exposed to oxygen and turns a red, rusty colour
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Do you have a question about groundwater science? Email askascientist@orc.govt.nz
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Happy Birthday, Enviroschools
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Otago Enviroschools is turning 21!
Cheers to them for 21 years of growing a whole new generation of environmentally aware citizens. Many happy returns!
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The Waitaki Boys' High School and Waitaki Girls' High School Envirogroups recently worked together to make a difference in their community.
17 students from the two schools, plus teachers and parents,headed up to Ōhau Alpine Village recently for a planting day to regenerate the native bush around Lake Middleton.
This area was devastated in the 2020 fires.The Ōhau Conservation Trust organised the planting day, and the high school students were joined by the Student Volunteer Army from Canterbury University.
They got 1083 native plants in the ground on the day, which the trust says is a huge boost to the restoration of the area. This planting is an acknowledgement of and thanks to the firefighters.
Mā tini mā mano ka rapa te whai
Many hands make light work — unity is strength
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Pests of the Month: gorse and broom
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Why are gorse and broom pests?
Gorse and broom are included in our pest plan primarily because their negative effects outweigh their beneficial attributes.
Both plants can form thick groups of bushes that prevent stock from grazing and are generally seen as a threat to farming values and native vegetation.
If you have trouble with these pest plants on your property, visit our Pest Hub for ways to manage and control gorse and broom.
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Soil monitoring is what we do — Part 2
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By ORC soil scientist Erik Button (Part 2 of 2)
Last month, we looked at our soil moisture sensor network. In this edition, we talk about how we monitor soil health.
Soil health monitoring programme
This programme is run in parallel with other Regional Councils in New Zealand and is designed to monitor long-term trends in soil health. To date, 22 sites have been sampled in Otago, with 10 new sites planned for 2023.
Individual sites are anonymised, and chosen to represent the diversity in climate, land use and soil types within the region. When the programme is fully established, sites will include traditional farming, arable, horticulture, urban, forestry and conservation land. For project success, we rely on access from willing landowners who in turn have full access to the results.
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At each site the soil profile is classified and characterised by its texture (content of sand, silt and clay). We then analyse collected soil samples for physical and chemical soil properties. Eight tests are done to tell us about the condition of the soil. The bulk density and macroporosity of the soil informs us about the soil structure and whether it is restricting root growth and drainage.
The soil carbon content is a great indicator for soil health, as micro-organisms rely on it for energy, and it is important for water and nutrient retention. The pH and nutrient tests check how fertile the soil is and how many nutrients are available for plant growth.
Monitoring sites are re-sampled after 3-5 years to build an understanding of how the soil changes (or doesn’t) over longer periods of time, and which areas, soils or land uses might be at risk. This timescale is especially important with monitoring the impacts of climate change, which may become more apparent in the long term.
If you are interested in hosting a soil health site, please contact us at public.enquiries@orc.govt.nz.
These programmes are part of our ongoing work to provide data, expertise and support to landowners and the public to sustain a healthy environment for future generations.
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Find out about monthly Otago Regional Council meetings here.
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Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might like to read it. If you have any story ideas or want to know anything specific about anything in this issue, let us know by emailing lisa.scott@orc.govt.nz.
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