14.5 National River Water Quality Network

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Database Title	14.5 National River Water Quality Network
Keywords Type1. Type 11.	Freshwater, water quality, rivers
Abstract	The National River Water Quality Network includes 77 sites distributed throughout the North Island (44 sites) and South Island (33 sites). The network was established in early 1989 using an agreed to design. At each site river flow, physical and chemical attributes and nuisance periphyton cover are measured either monthly or four weekly. The sites were selected to reflect both "baseline" conditions (32 upstream sites) and "impact" conditions (45 downstream sites). The field work is carried out by NIWA's 14 regional hydrometric field teams. The laboratory analyses are carried out at the NIWA Hamilton laboratory.
Geographical Coverage	New Zealand North and South Islands
Dataset start date.	1989
Dataset end date.	Current
Status/currency.	In progress
Update frequency.	Monthly with each new data set
Maintenance.	PGSF funded database (part of Water Resources Archive)

Technical Evaluation
Parameters- what is measured	River flow dissolved oxygen % saturation river temperature River visual clarity PH Conductivity Turbidity biochemical oxygen demand absorption coefficient at 340 and 440 nm oxidised N ammoniacal N total N dissolved reactive P total P
Parameters- what is calculated	Trends in the above parameters adjusted to recognise natural seasonal variation and flow dependence in some parameters.
Methods used to measure parameters	Field teams visited the sites once per month. At each site sampling was at the same time of day to remove diurnal variation. Field measurements included the first four items listed in parameters measured. Samples were collected for laboratory analyses of the remaining parameters measured. Every effort was made to ensure that field and laboratory sampling and measurement was consistent.
Secondary sources of data	N/A
Scale of use.	N/A
Number of records	10 years of monthly data (120 records) for 77 sites.
GIS compatibility.	Yes (point data)
Available formats for users.	The raw data is in Excel tables. Annual reports Published papers
Access constraints.	The data is freely available.
Measurement Accuracy	To be completed by database manager.
Completeness of dataset	To be completed by database manager.
Positional accuracy	To be completed by database manager.
Database steward	NIWA
Database custodian	NIWA
Database custodian contact person	Graham Bryers
Database custodian Contact Address Phone Fax Email	P.O. Box 11 115 Hillcrest Hamilton +64 7 856 7026 +64 7 856 0151 g.bryers@niwa.cri.nz
References	Smith, D.G.; Maasadam, R. 1994 New Zealand's national river quality network. 1 Design and physico-chemical characterization. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research: Vol. 28: 19-35.. Smith, D.G.; McBride, G.B.; Bryers, G.G.; Wisse, J.; Mink, D.F.J. 1996. Rends in New Zealand's national river water quality network. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research: Vol. 30: 285-500. Smith, D.G.; McBride, G.B.; Bryers, G.G.; Davies-Colley, R.J.; Quinn, J.M.; Vant, W.N. 1989. A national water quality network for New Zealand. DSIR Water Quality Centre Consultancy Report 8016/2.
Date metadata record prepared.	October 1999
Author of metadata record.	Victoria Froude

Management Evaluation
Original purpose.	To detect significant trends in water quality. To develop better understanding of the nature of water resources and thereby assist their management
Relationships with classification systems.	N/A
Relationships with other databases	Part of the National Water Resources Archive.
Known relationships with proposed EPIP indicators.	N/A
Who uses this database?	NIWA - for research purposes and to assess the trends shown in the data. Regional councils - to assist them in their water management responsibilities. Industry - for resource consent applications. International purposes (see Water Resources Archive)
Public awareness of the database	There is good awareness among regional council staff. Otherwise awareness is generally low.
Database strengths.	The database contains a complete dataset. There is rigorous quality control on the collection, measurement and analysis of data. The data is readily available. The data has been collected using consistent methods.
Database limitations.	The database does not include microbiological, pesticides, organics and heavy metal data. As funding for the database has remained constant there has been a reduction in funding available to analyse the data collected.

What are the Current and Emerging Uses of the Database for:
Assisting with determining historic state/baseline.	The database will, over time, provide a historic baseline. This will allow comparison because there have been no changes in methods.
Assisting with determining current state/baseline.	The database provides a current baseline for a number of water quality parameters.
Assisting with modeling possible future outcomes.	The database is being used for trends analysis. It has been used for the hearings of some water conservation orders e.g. Mohaka, Motu and Wanganui.
Risk assessment.	The database is being used to develop models to predict the effects of land-use changes on river water quality (especially nutrient levels and water clarity).
Monitoring site selection and sample design.	The monitoring network has been carefully designed to cover a range of land uses and both control and impact sites.
Aggregating and reporting data locally, regionally or nationally.	Data can be reported at different levels. At this stage the focus has been on national trends analysis.