Success story

Water Quality Monitoring for Ashburton Forks Catchment Group

The group have carried surface water and groundwater quality monitoring since mid-2023 to better understand the current state of water quality in the wider catchment. The group was also keen to understand the effects of farming activities and restoration efforts on water quality, with a focus on nitrate concentrations.

Through A2E, Juliet Milne (Traverse Environmental) provided their expert support.

Juliet prepared a short guidance report for the group. This contained a review of the existing methodology, alongside recommendations for how the group could evolve their approach to water quality monitoring.

A particular focus was placed on using the latest technology to complete monitoring effectively. The group use an optical nitrate sensor as a ‘mini laboratory’ in the field, which helps measure nitrate concentrations in groundwater and surface water efficiently over an extended period. Juliet offered recommendations around getting the most of their sampling, troubleshoot effectively, and quality-check their dataset.

Alongside technical recommendations, Juliet offered practical actions to compliment the groups’ monitoring moving forward, including:

• Content for a training session on water sampling protocols.

• Forms to capture key information around weather and sample conditions.

• Tailored process for nitrate sensor monitoring and quality assurance within the catchment.

• Templates to record site monitoring.

Juliet also held a meeting with the group to present the guidance report and seek their feedback.

Through A2E’s support, Ashburton Forks Catchment Group are now equipped with technical recommendations to improve their monitoring practices, from a quality assurance perspective. The group also have practical actions and templates to help support their work, collect robust data to enable better freshwater outcomes for the catchment.