Twenty Years of New Zealand’s National Rivers Water Quality Network: Benefits of Careful Design and Consistent Operation1 |
| |
Authors: | Robert J Davies‐Colley David G Smith Robert C Ward Graham G Bryers Graham B McBride John M Quinn Mike R Scarsbrook |
| |
Institution: | 1. Respectively, Principal Scientist – Aquatic Pollution, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), P.O. Box 11‐115, Hamilton, New Zealand;2. Retired Section Chief, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Valhalla, New York 10595;3. Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University, Windsor, Colorado 80550;4. Senior Technical Officer, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Hamilton, New Zealand;5. Principal Scientist – Aquatic Pollution, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Hamilton, New Zealand;6. Principal Scientist – Aquatic Ecology, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Hamilton, New Zealand;7. Development Team Leader for Sustainability, DairyNZ Ltd., Hamilton, New Zealand |
| |
Abstract: | Davies‐Colley, Robert J., David G. Smith, Robert C. Ward, Graham G. Bryers, Graham B. McBride, John M. Quinn, and Mike R. Scarsbrook, 2011. Twenty Years of New Zealand’s National Rivers Water Quality Network: Benefits of Careful Design and Consistent Operation. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(4):750‐771. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00554.x Abstract: This paper reviews New Zealand’s National Rivers Water Quality Network (NRWQN), which is now in its third decade of monitoring. The NRWQN is noteworthy for being operationally stable throughout its history, and the resulting consistency is increasingly valuable for detecting water quality trends and for “anchoring” temporary special purpose monitoring campaigns. The NRWQN was carefully designed following considerable effort to learn from monitoring experiences elsewhere. Monthly visits are made to 77 sites (all near hydrometric stations) on 35 river systems that cumulatively drain about one half of the national landscape. “Core” (routinely measured) variables are: conductivity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, visual clarity, turbidity, colored dissolved organic matter, fecal indicator bacteria, and different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus (italics indicate field measurements). Associated benthic biological monitoring comprises monthly visual assessment of periphyton and annual sampling for macro‐invertebrates. We overview the conception, design, initiation, and operational history of the NRWQN, and highlight the diverse applications of its datasets including numerous scientific applications, national‐scale modeling of material fluxes, and state‐of‐environment reporting and practical water management at both regional and national scale. The qualified success of the NRWQN can probably be attributed to careful (and parsimonious) design and consistent operation. |
| |
Keywords: | water quality monitoring rivers nutrients microbial pollution visual clarity benthic algae/periphyton macro‐invertebrates environmental sampling quality assurance time series analysis load modeling New Zealand |
|
|