Festive Earth Society - Direct Buy Mountain View

Two new reports about New Zealand’s lake and ground water quality show that while our fresh water quality is good in many areas, we still face challenges to keep some of our water bodies clean, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

"These technical reports are important because they provide us with real information about the state and trends of New Zealand’s fresh water. They show that much of New Zealand’s lake and ground water quality is good, but that some of our water bodies have poor water quality, particularly where there is a lot of farming land. This must be addressed if we want to be a sustainable nation and continue to leverage off New Zealand's clean green reputation in international markets.

"We all have to make an effort to keep New Zealand’s water clean. One of the biggest challenges is for the agriculture sector to improve farm practices, and to do this quickly," Trevor Mallard said.

The new reports called ‘Lake water quality in New Zealand: status in 2006 and recent trends (1990-2006)’ and ‘Groundwater quality in New Zealand: state and trends (1995-2006)’, published by the Ministry for the Environment, indicate that:

• while 60 per cent of our lakes have good water quality, about 30 per cent are likely to have poor water quality because of excessive nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) levels.
• about one third of our monitored groundwater has elevated nitrogen levels and 20 per cent shows signs of contamination by faecal matter
• where catchments are dominated by intensive land uses, such as farming or urban development, lakes have levels of nutrients several times higher than lakes in natural catchments.

Common sources of nutrient and faecal pollution are livestock, fertilisers, human wastewater disposal (such as discharges from septic tanks) and stormwater runoff.

Agriculture has the most widespread impact on water quality because it is the most dominant land use in New Zealand - it occupies almost 40 per cent of our total land area.

"Intensified farming is affecting the recreational value and life-supporting capacity of our water bodies. We have been encouraged that many in the dairy industry are acting to improve their practices. Now we need to see the whole agricultural sector take greater responsibility for its environmental impacts," Trevor Mallard said.

The government is working with the primary sectors (including meat and beef, dairy and horticulture) on commitments to improve environmental performance through voluntary initiatives such as the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord and Dairy Environment Strategy.

Other support and government initiatives to improve water quality are outlined below.

Bottled water is drinking water packaged in bottles for individual consumption and retail sale.
The water used can be glacial water, spring water, well water, purified water as well as public water sources (i.e., tap water). Many countries, particularly developed countries, regulate the quality of bottled water through government standards, typically used to ensure that water quality is safe and labels accurately reflect bottle contents. In many developing countries, however, such standards are variable and are often less stringent than those of developed nations[citation needed].
Today, bottled water companies are under attack as consumer's concerns about the environment increase. Packaging and shipping water consumes energy and contributes to global warming. Empty bottles add to litter and solid waste. As a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems .The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund have all urged their supporters to consume less bottled water and various campaigns against bottled water are starting to appear. Many believe that bottled water is no better than tap water and that home water filtration may also be a viable option.

Bacteriological Test

A bacteriological test tells you if your water is free from disease-causing bacteria. It is possible to test for virtually every water-borne disease-causing bacteria and virus, but such a test would be costly. Instead, the most common test is for total coliform bacteria. Because coliform bacteria commonly inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals, they serve as indicators of fecal contamination and as a marker for other, possibly pathogenic microorganisms.

The report from the laboratory will indicate that the water is either coliform negative or coliform positive. If the test is coliform positive, then you should act immediately to determine and eliminate the source of contamination and/or disinfect the water before use.

Mineral Test

A mineral analysis indicates the extent of mineral impurities in the water. Large amounts of minerals and other impurities may pose a health hazard and affect the appearance and usefulness of the water.

A typical mineral analysis will give the content in parts per million of mineral elements such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc. It will also determine the acidity or pH of the water and the hardness, expressed in parts per million or grains per gallon. It may also give the concentration of nitrate, sulfates and other chemical compounds.