mallard, teal, and paradise ducks, black swans, Canadian geese, and seagulls.
A slightly noticeable odour was noted downwind from the flume shed and step screen areas. No odour was
detected around the pond perimeter.
The treated effluent discharge flow rate into the Patea River was estimated at 25 L/s, and showed no visual
environmental impact at the point of discharge. The Patea River flow rate was recorded as 4.395 m3/s at the
Skinner Road site. Receiving water samples were collected
pastoral farming, with over 60% of the total
land area of the region in grassland or crops. A little under 40% of the land area is covered
by indigenous or exotic forest in either private or public ownership. Approximately 0.5% of
the land area is covered by urban areas, rivers and lakes.
Overall, our region is blessed with few significant problems associated with our soil
resource. Pressures associated with land uses on erosion-prone land are principally confined
to the hill country, but even
the river
below South Road (SH45) (Photo 1) occurs via a 4.5 metre high weir, to a head race and
storage lake. There is a river channel distance of approximately two kilometres in the
Waiaua River between the diversion weir and the sea, known as the residual flow
reach. The level of the storage lake (Lake Opunake) varies according to generation
requirements. Water passes from Lake Opunake through the penstocks of the
powerhouse and finally is released via a tunnel and tailrace onto the
scientific and amenity values
Ecology (e.g. river and lake habitat, vegetation, fish and fisheries, wildlife)
River flow
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consents 6
1.4 Monitoring programme 11
1.4.1 Introduction 11
1.4.2 Programme liaison and management 11
1.4.3 Site inspections 11
1.4.4 Discharge and water quality sampling 11
1.4.5 Review of supplied flow and discharge data 11
1.4.6 Fish survey 11
2 Results 12
2.1 Inspections 12
2.1.1 New Plymouth 12
2.1.2 Okato 12
2.1.3 Oakura 13
2.1.4 Waitara industrial intake weir (contingency take site) 13
2.1.5 Inglewood 13
2.2 Discharge and receiving water
by more widespread algal growth within
rivers and streams in summer. While this is a generic pattern, in the 2018-2019 summer surveys the pattern
was exacerbated by extended periods of higher than usual stream temperatures, a significant increase in
the proportion of more extreme temperatures, and prolonged low flow periods. The summer period was
particularly dry with some sites recording new records for time elapsed since a significant fresh, which was
likely to be a significant factor in
predominantly related to climatic
patterns, but can also be artificially influenced by activities such as pasture irrigation onto recharge areas.
Discharge volumes are influenced by both natural processes, such as flow from springs and groundwater
seepage to rivers and the coast, and the removal of groundwater by abstraction.
The Council monitors groundwater levels at 15 sites across the region. Nine of these sites are classified as
long-term sites, where data has been collected for in excess of …
coliform,
nutrient and metal analyses on one occasion in summer.
Sampling of the Patea River either side of the discharge was carried out on three occasions, and the sample
analysed for BOD, chloride, pH, turbidity, and nutrient analyses. Additional bacteriological (faecal coliform)
and metal analyses were included on one sampling occasion under summer low flow conditions.
1.4.5. Biomonitoring surveys
One biological survey was performed on 3 April 2018 in the Patea River, to determine
assessing freshwater environments. Perception
Planning Ltd. 115 pp.
Cover image: © H. J. Rainforth. The Whangaehu River flowing through Te Onetapu.
© Perception Planning, 2019
page
3
Contents
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 PROJECT AND CLIENT
394.0 85 31 Apr 1998
Waitotara Coast 11 73.4 63 414.6 86 36 Sep 2015
page
Table 2: River Flow at 9 sites throughout the region
River and Site
Recorded Flows (m3/sec)
Records
Began
Maximum Minimum Mean
May 2021
May all
previous
years
May 2021
May all
previous
years
May 2021
May all
previous
years
Waitara at Bertrand Rd 454.759 868.995 10.499 6.232 65.492 62.864 Feb 1980
Manganui at Everett Park 316.007 793.308 5.028 3.011