What future for Waikawa River water quality?

Red dot on a map shows Waikawa River at the footbridge has a very poor longterm score for human health.
Red dot on a map shows Waikawa River at the footbridge has a very poor longterm score for human health.

Horizons Regional Council wants to hear from you about freshwater quality before 5pm Tuesday 24 May 2022. Have your say: Long-term visions for freshwater | Oranga Wai. (See below.)

Waikawa River has some pretty poor scores on various water quality and health measures, so we really need Horizons to put in the work to improve them. Visit Waiopehu Freshwater Management Unit to see the scores for yourself, but the screenshots below, taken from that site, speak for themselves.

Overall water quality ranks Poor.
Overall water quality ranks Poor.
Overall aquatic life ranks Fair.
Overall aquatic life ranks Fair.
Ecosystem health ranks Poor.
Ecosystem health ranks Poor.
Swimspot health ranks Poor.
Swimspot health ranks Poor.
Graph shows Waikawa Stream by footbridge is suitable for swimming only about half the time.
Graph shows Waikawa Stream by footbridge is suitable for swimming only about half the time.
Longterm grade for human health ranks Very Poor.
Longterm grade for human health ranks Very Poor.
Map shows the Waiopehu area that includes Waikawa Beach.
Map shows the Waiopehu area that includes Waikawa Beach.

Press release: Horizons Regional Council seeks input into shaping the region’s freshwater future:

What would you like for our freshwater in 50 years time? Horizons Regional Council is asking people for their vision for the future of freshwater in the region.
“We really want to know about the goals and aspirations our community would like to see for freshwater.
“We want to understand and embrace our communities’ shared knowledge and experiences of freshwater, including mātauranga Māori, to enable us to look after freshwater better.

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