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Wakapai kaa Awa ~ accelerating the pollution cleanup and restoration of the Avon, Heathcote, and all impaired Canterbury rivers ~ Project Waiora

Campaign08: address the charge that "The two dirtiest rivers in Canterbury are the Avon and the Heathcote" - Cr Mark Oldfield, ECan.

Launch focus: completion of CCC Bromley ocean outfall pipe, circa late-2008

Community assets: Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust "non-profit organisation formed by the public & supported by Christchurch City Council & Environment Canterbury" (CCC, ECan) AHEIT ; Waihora Ellesmere Trust WET "better management practices to improve the health & biodiversity of the lake & its catchments" Lake Issues Group + Ellesmere Water Improvement Group? + Lake Water Quality in NZ.. recent trends 1990-2006 MfE Aug07 ; Professor Wally Clark & Waimakariri River Protection Assn re PPCS Ltd right to discharge 96 ; SaveOurWater campaign.

Analysis: according to ECan compliance staff, the source of the problem is:
a) sporadic and dispersed - no central points of origin for city river pollution;
b) mostly the product of industrial yards in the upper Heathcote catchment - typically, loading zones for toxic materials are neither separate nor covered, leading to occasional toxic spill wash-offs to stream;
c) sometimes building sites siltating streams, in the ground preparation phase - there is often deficient management at the start of a development;
d) city stormwater pipes being grossly deficient, such that many consents allow stormwater to overflow into sewers where the CCC do not want it because diluted sewerage is harder to treat - roadside litter and impurities washed into the system adds a polluting effect - large investment in stormwater drainage and treatment is required, to fix this key problem;
e) currently 'falling between the cracks' that exist where CCC administered drainpipes meet ECan administered rivers - CCC have cut their monitoring division, and ECan only hear about harmful spillages well after the event (say ECan) / ECan should tighten up on the discharge consent conditions to CCC, which are up for renewal (say CCC).

Snippets - action needed!: anon oil etc dumped periodically into Avon via drains ; south Hagley Park has a discoloured stream, flows into Avon ; Waimak receives untreated sewage from a large white pipe run alongside old roadbridge - it stinks! ; summer 2007 Rakaia River jetboaters, who used to camp for holidays near the SH1 bridge in Rakaia township, now camp at the inland gorge - 'because irrigators have depleted the mid-plain flow so much that we can no longer safely jetboat up stream to there' ; Ashburton River no longer gets any Rangitata Diversion flow-thru, risking wildlife ; soil scientist Wally Clark believes South Canterbury is ignoring the public health risks of intensive dairying, and campylobacter infection of drinking water is likely ; "A clean, healthy environment 'a key competitive advantage for NZ'" Chief Executive of the Ministry for the Environment, Hugh Logan.. speech at Lincoln University (Govt Portal 19Oct06)

Wakapai kaa Awa - Wider NZ
Waiwhetu Stream Action Plan Waiwhetu Stream Working Group Apr01 + Waiwhetu Stream Clean Up 'View from the [Mayor John] Terris' Nov03 + Grants to help clean up contaminated sites announced "$69,912 to Greater Wellington Regional Council, to help plan the clean-up of Waiwhetu Stream, in liaison with Hutt City Council" Hon Marian Hobbs beehive.govt.nz 11Feb05 + $14m Plan to Clean Up Polluted Hutt Stream Lane NICHOLS redorbit.com 10Apr06 + Five vie for chains "It has been a stormy three years in Lower Hutt. Since taking the mayoral chains by defeating incumbent John Terris in 2004, Mayor David Ogden.. persuaded the Environment Ministry to contribute $3 million to pay for a clean-up of the seriously polluted Waiwhetu Stream" COLIN PATTERSON Dominion Post 30Aug07 + Waiwhetu Stream Turned Orange Petone Herald 19Sep07 + Polluted Hutt stream 'source of suspected Legionnaires "considered to be one of the most polluted waterways in the country" Dominion Post NZPA 23Nov07 + 14 December 2007 news..
Hutt River: Jan08 algal mat dog poisoning deaths, repeat, basset hounds
Prior established brands: Wai-ora Trust "charitable organisation, whose aims are 'helping people grow', by promoting & supporting projects, programmes & community-based businesses that will develop people, our environment & our community" 48 Watsons Rd Harewood Christchurch 03-359-7407 + Wai-Ora Forest Landscapes Ltd "commercial landscape contracting company and native plant nursery.. formed in 1996 from several existing trading departments of the" waioratrust.co.nz; WaioraTrust.org.nz - parked; Te Roopu Waiora Trust "provides disability information, advice & support to whanau with disabilities & their communities" Papatoetoe, Manukau City; Wai Ora Christian Community Trust, Wanganui "Te Puna O Wai Ora (The Wellspring of Living Water).. courses finished for 2005" + Outcast Ministries 2006; Waiora.com product MLM / Network Marketing; Waiora.org - parked.

Water link pages:
Dairy dilemma
Nitrate danger
Water hub page
Canterbury local industry etc
Wider NZ outside of Canterbury
International outside of NZ
Water bibles historical context

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