ORC monitors water quality and ecosystem health at over 100 river and lake sites. Results from our monitoring are reported as:
- Annual reports, based on the latest 5 years of water quality and ecosystem health data. Results are assessed against the National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management (NPSFM) and Schedule 15 of the current Regional Plan: Water for Otago.
 - State and trend reports, based on longer-term data sets to determine if the state of our waterways is improving or degrading.
 - Catchment studies, based on targeted investigations of water quality in a catchment. This typically involves short-term studies of multiple sites to provide a detailed assessment of patterns of water quality in a specific area. Â
 - Real-time water quality and environmental data can be viewed on our Environmental Data Portal.
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For earlier reports or for more information about the publications published here contact science.enquiries@orc.govt.nz
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December 2024
PDF | 329 KB
August 2024
PDF | 23 MB
July 2023
PDF | 1001 KB
July 2023
PDF | 523 KB
July 2023
PDF | 521 KB
September 2022
PDF | 1 MB
September 2021
PDF | 856 KB
October 2019
PDF | 1 MB
November 2018
PDF | 2 MB
July 2018
PDF | 1 MB
August 2016
PDF | 1 MB
July 2024
PDF | 11 MB
December 2019
PDF | 3 MB
NIWA was engaged by Otago Regional Council (ORC) to provide an assessment of selected water quality and ecological data for the Manuherikia River catchment in Central Otago. This study confirms that the information analysed provides an effective benchmark against which future ecological condition assessments of catchments can be compared.
June 2017
PDF | 2 MB
This study found that water quality within the Waiwera catchment shows elevated concentrations of nutrients and bacteria that generally exceed the Schedule 15 limits/targets set out in Otago’s Regional Plan: Water. These elevated nutrient concentrations are sufficient to cause prolific algae growth. No discernible trends were found in the catchment’s State of Environment monitoring data set (2006 to 2017), other than the concentration of total phosphorus declined significantly during this period. An accumulation of fine sediment within the catchment’s waterways appears to be behind the dramatic reductions in abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate communities and fish populations, particularly in the mainstem of the Waiwera River. Appropriate mitigation measures need to be implemented to protect the river from further degradation and to aid recovery.
April 2016
PDF | 10 MB
The Otago Regional Council is responsible for managing Otago’s groundwater and surface-water resources. ORC carries out regular and extensive long-term monitoring as part of its State of the Environment (SoE) programme and carried out a targeted, short-term monitoring investigation of the Cardrona River in 2004-2005. This study repeated this work ten years later.
January 2016
PDF | 1 MB
The Lindis River is a major tributary of the upper Clutha River. There is heavy demand for water abstraction in the lower catchment. This report updates earlier studies to review the impact of changes in land use on the river catchment.
November 2014
PDF | 1 MB
Lake Tuakitoto is a large freshwater wetland situated in the lower Clutha River catchment in South Otago. Much of the catchment consists of intensively grazed pasture with some scrub, and plantation forestry. There has been intensification of land use in the catchment which has the potential to affect water quality in the lower part of Lovells Creek and Frasers Stream.
November 2014
PDF | 1 MB
The Shag River/Waihemo is a small river flowing from the slopes of Kakanui Peak and flowing in a south-easterly direction past the township of Palmerston before entering the Pacific Ocean just south of Shag Point/Matakaea. Most of the catchment consists of agriculture and forestry with some short-rotation cropping in the lower catchment. The objectives of this report are to: • Provide a baseline of water quality in the Shag River/Waihemo catchment, including at unimpacted (reference) sites, • Compare water quality in the Shag River/Waihemo catchment to water quality limits set out in Plan Change 6A, • Identify any patterns in water quality in the Shag River/Waihemo catchment and to relate these to land-use activities, where possible
November 2013
PDF | 1 MB
This study examines how water quality has changed at a range of locations in the catchment over the past 12 years, and how present water quality compares with Plan Change 6A limits.
October 2013
PDF | 828 KB
The objectives of this report are to: • provide a baseline of water quality in the Waianakarua River catchment, including at unimpacted (reference) sites • compare water quality in the Waianakarua catchment to water quality standards set out in plan change 6A • identify any patterns in water quality in the Waianakarua catchment and to relate these to land-use activities, where possible.
June 2013
PDF | 3 MB
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is responsible for managing Otago’s groundwater and surface-water resources. Although the ORC carries out regular and extensive long-term water quality monitoring as part of its State of Environment (SOE) programme, it has not carried out a targeted short-term monitoring investigation in the Kakanui River catchment.
September 2012
PDF | 2 MB
This report provides the results from a more detailed, short-term investigation carried out in the Upper Taieri River catchment.
November 2012
PDF | 1 MB
The Tokomairiro catchment is dominated by intensive farming. The monitoring programme which ran from August 2011 to April 2012 sought to identify pollution hotspots, and appropriate strategies to better manage water quality.
September 2011
PDF | 1 MB
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) carries out regular water quality monitoring as part of its State of Environment programme, as well as short-term targeted water quality monitoring programmes. This report provides the results from a more detailed, short-term investigation carried out in the Manuherikia River catchment between 2009 and 2011.
November 2011
PDF | 785 KB
This report provides the results from one of the more detailed investigations carried out on water quality in the Catlins area.
April 2011
PDF | 2 MB
This report provides the results from one of these more detailed investigations carried out in the Pomahaka River catchment. The investigation was implemented to more accurately understand how different land-uses can affect water quality and in-stream ecological values.
May 2010
PDF | 402 KB
ORC conducted a 12-month water quality sampling programme, with the aim of getting a better understanding of the effects of land use on water quality in the Pomahaka catchment.
November 2009
PDF | 3 MB
This report provides the results from short-term studies, which monitored the health of five high country lakes ( Hayes, Johnson, Onslow, Wakatipu, and Wanaka). ORC and local communities can use this information to work together to ensure the wellbeing of these five important lakes.
May 2006
PDF | 1 MB
A monthly water quality monitoring programme was carried out between September 2005 and March 2006 at six sites on the Cardrona River and nine sites on the Lindis River. Water was tested for a range of physico-chemical and microbiological parameters. This report provides more detailed information than that gathered for the State of Environment programme, which has been undertaken since the late 1980's.
May 2006
PDF | 2 MB
This report outlines results of a surface water quality monitoring programme carried out in tributaries of the Manuherikia, Taieri, and Waitaki rivers.
May 2005
PDF | 4 MB
This report presents the results and findings of a water quality monitoring programme undertaken in the Island Stream and Waiareka Creek catchments between September 2004 and March 2005.
March 2005
PDF | 1 MB
A two-year trophic level investigation of Lakes Waipori and Waihola was carried out between October 2002 and October 2004 to gain a better understanding of the two lakes' nutrient status.
March 2004
PDF | 3 MB
This report presents the results and findings of the 12-month Lower Taieri monitoring programme, including routine state of the environmental biological monitoring in the lower Taieri River catchment.
March 2003
PDF | 2 MB
This report presents the results and findings of a 14-month monitoring programme. Information is also drawn from ORC’s long-term State of the Environment monitoring sites, principally those located at Stonehenge (Hore's Bridge) and Halls Bridge.
November 2023
PDF | 482 KB
This memo addresses whether to retain a nitrogen limit for pastoral farming systems and the suitability of implementing such limits for vegetable growing and arable production.
October 2023
PDF | 644 KB
October 2023
PDF | 935 KB
August 2023
PDF | 1 MB
June 2022
PDF | 657 KB
November 2023
PDF | 406 KB
August 2021
PDF | 4 MB
October 2021
PDF | 2 MB
August 2023
PDF | 3 MB
October 2023
PDF | 8 MB
November 2022
PDF | 366 KB
August 2023
PDF | 159 KB
February 2024
PDF | 3 MB
April 2021
PDF | 1 MB
August 2023
PDF | 538 KB
April 2023
PDF | 2 MB
July 2023
XLSX | 441 KB
March 2024
PDF | 560 KB
February 2024
PDF | 359 KB
February 2024
PDF | 186 KB
Authors: Jason Augspurger and Tom Dyer
February 2024
PDF | 276 KB
Author: Jason Augspurger
February 2024
PDF | 3 MB
Report writer: Jason Augspurger
March 2024
PDF | 14 MB
Many of New Zealand’s freshwater environments are under pressure from land use intensification resulting in deteriorating water quality and ecosystem health. As a result, limits must be set on resource use to achieve receiving environment water quality objectives such as the health of rivers, lakes, and estuaries. To aid communities in determination of desired level of ecosystem health, a model is needed which can fill the knowledge gap on required emission reductions to achieve target attribute states and whether different mitigation suites (GMP and GMP+) may achieve the desired reductions. Report writer: Jason Augspurger
April 2021
PDF | 2 MB
This study analysed the available water quality data in upper Clutha/Mata-Au lakes and their tributaries.
February 2024
PDF | 249 KB
This memo presents known information about the sediment issues from plantation forestry in Otago.
November 2023
PDF | 268 KB
November 2023
PDF | 275 KB
December 2023
PDF | 250 KB
The purpose of the memo is to present the best information available to inform the Target attribute state and baseline states for lakes in Otago
November 2023
PDF | 179 KB
June 2022
PDF | 587 KB
October 2024
PDF | 4 MB
May 2024
PDF | 442 KB
Provisions for setbacks to limit agrichemicals entering waterways
November 2023
PDF | 140 KB
October 2024
PDF | 3 MB
October 2022
PDF | 550 KB
May 2022
PDF | 5 MB
March 2023
PDF | 6 MB
November 2023
PDF | 747 KB
November 2022
PDF | 656 KB
November 2022
PDF | 2 MB
November 2021
PDF | 1 MB
January 2023
PDF | 856 KB
February 2021
PDF | 4 MB
January 2023
PDF | 212 KB
November 2022
PDF | 708 KB
August 2022
PDF | 3 MB
August 2022
PDF | 4 MB
October 2022
PDF | 985 KB
October 2022
PDF | 3 MB
