Update on Technical Working Group progress (to be updated 3 or 4 times a year or as required)
October 2010 Update
All Working Groups met face to face by August 2010. The primary purpose of these initial workshops was to determine and schedule high priority revisions for Phase 1 and begin to identify and scope more detailed revisions to be undertaken in Phase 2. Additionally, the workshops provided a forum to canvas and discuss technical, strategic or philosophical issues associated with the guidelines’ revision. Key outcomes of each of the Working Groups are presented below.
Working Group 1 (Introduction and Framework, Delivery of Guidelines, Coordination and Integration)
- A register of cross-cutting issues has been established and is being used to coordinate and address these issues across the Working Groups.
- A scope of works is being developed for the development and implementation of a stakeholder engagement and communications plan.
Working Group 2 (Biological Assessment and Monitoring and Assessment)
- A discussion paper proposing a formal framework and guidance on integrated assessment, encompassing weight of evidence and multiple lines of evidence approaches, across all indicator types.
- A discussion paper proposing refinements to the regionalisation and classification of aquatic ecosystems to provide ecosystem-specific (i) default regional physico-chemical trigger values and (ii) guidance for monitoring and assessment.
Working Group 3 (Physical and chemical stressors)
- A consultancy will be commissioned to determine an appropriate aquatic ecosystem regionalisation classification. This will include deriving regional physical and chemical trigger values for fresh waters, although the level of specificity cannot yet be determined. Data on New Zealand marine water quality will also be collated for physical and chemical stressors in Phase 1. This will form a basis for consideration in Phase 2 about whether guideline values can be derived for physical and chemical stressors in New Zealand marine waters.
- A consultancy will be commissioned to investigate approaches for deriving trigger values, and provide guidance on water quality monitoring and assessment methods for variable, permanent and non-permanent ecosystems.
- The need to identify how climate change affects water quality (identified also by Working Groups 2 and 4).
- A discussion paper proposing refinements to the regionalisation and classification of aquatic ecosystems to provide ecosystem-specific (i) default regional physico-chemical trigger values and (ii) guidance for monitoring and assessment.
Working Group 4 (Toxicants and sediment quality)
- To correct, revise and derive toxicant trigger values for nitrate, zinc, boron, manganese (marine) and salinity (marine ie. desalination plant brine) during Phase 1.
- Changes to the derivation method for trigger values in Phase 2 include:
- a move away from the use of No-Observed-Effect-Concentration (NOEC) to nil/low effect/inhibitory concentration (IC/EC) (for new or revised trigger values)
- increasing the minimum sample size requirements
- improving the functionality and flexibility of the trigger value derivation statistical software.
- Trigger values for a number of toxicants in sediments have been revised/derived but further refinement is required. We will be seeking public comment in the coming months once a draft has been finalised.
Working Group 5 (Monitoring and reporting)
- The ANZECC 2000 guidelines included a chapter on monitoring and assessment. This will be reviewed during the revision. In addition, a separate guideline document “Monitoring and Reporting” will also be reviewed during the revision process.
- The linkages between the Water Quality Guidelines and Monitoring & Reporting Guidelines will be strengthened. “Cradle-to-grave” interactive input through the decision tree frameworks, for study design and associated monitoring and assessment will be provided through web delivery of the Water Quality Guidelines.
- The revised Monitoring & Reporting Guidelines will feature a case study approach to monitoring and assessment advice.
Working Group 6 (Primary industries)
- A revision for pathogens in aquaculture foods for human consumption has been drafted, focussing on the suitability of indicators. A targeted stakeholder consultation for this revision will occur soon.
- Better linkages between methods of trigger value derivation for aquatic ecosystems and aquaculture have been discussed with Working Group 4.
- Linkages between the Water Quality Guidelines for irrigation waters and the recent NWQMS Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling have been considered.
- Assessing options for updating guidelines for stock drinking water.
Last updated: 25 November 2010
