The money collected from consent-holder charges will be used for scientific work in that specific zone as well as a share of relevant regional work. The zones are the same as those used for the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.
For each zone there are a number of Environment Canterbury projects which relate specifically to that zone. The work programmes for these projects will be aligned over time with the zone implementation programmes being developed by the Canterbury Water Management Strategy zone committees. Progress and findings will be provided at least yearly to the relevant zone committee as well as to consent-holders and the wider community.
The scope of work covered in scientific investigations and monitoring – at both the regional and zone levels – is summarised below:
Regional scientific investigations work includes:
o Understanding sources and time-lags affecting surface water and groundwater quality.
o Understanding abstraction effects on surface water quantity.
o Understanding abstraction effects on groundwater aquifer resources.
o Improving understanding of the interactions between surface water and groundwater.
o Understanding the effects of riparian planting and restoration on water quality.
o Understanding how different activities affect water quality.
Zone specific scientific monitoring work includes:
o Maintaining the existing network of river flow monitoring sites.
o Increase the number of surface water flowmeters river flow monitoring sites in lowland streams.
o Maintain the existing groundwater monitoring systems.
o Expand the groundwater monitoring systems.
o Support the installation of groundwater measuring devices.
o Monitor groundwater levels, river flows and rainfall at representative sites.
o Monitor groundwater quality at representative sites.
o Extend the water quality network to more urban waterways.
o Monitor recreational water quality.
o Monitor aquatic ecosystem health at representative sites.
o Publish the results of monitoring programmes.
o Monitor the effects of land use on water quality.
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