 | ||
Water pollution is an environmental issue on the West Coast of New Zealand.
Contents
Water resources and water pollution come under the jurisdiction of the Resource Management Act and is controlled by the regional councils - for the West Coast it is the West Coast Regional Council.
A 2008 State of the Environment report showed that:
Grey River
Raw sewage is discharged into the Grey River after heavy rainfall. Historically, sewage and stormwater from Greymouth, Cobden and Blaketown was discharged directly to the Grey River. Changes to the Grey District Council's wastewater schemes provide separation and treatment for sewage, except during periods of high rainfall, such as spring, when the capacity of the sewage treatment is exceeded.
Acid mine drainage
The West Coast has a long history of mining and some of the waterways suffer from acid mine drainage as a result of the leaching of acidic water from mining activity.
Drinking water
Eighty two percent of the population is supplied by reticulated drinking water with 28% having some form of treatment to improve water quality. None of the water supplies reach drinking water standards.
Lake Brunner
The water on Lake Brunner has been monitored since the 1990s and it shows that the water quality of the lake is declining.
Ngakawau River
North of Westport Water from the Stockton open cast coal mine pollutes the Ngakawau River.
Mokihinui River
50 km north of Westport. This river has a 68,000ha catchment, which is largely pristine except for the lower coastal region downstream of the ranges. Nevertheless, the two major farms work hard to protect the river via planting of riparian strips and strategic farm management practices.It also holds a great deal of waste from mistreatment.