Freshwater

NIWA’s Catchment Contaminants Loads Model (C-CALM) is a spatial decision support system for planning applications. It estimates annual contaminant loads at the neighbourhood to stormwater management unit (sub-catchment) scale, from diffuse sources, for Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and particulate and dissolved zinc and copper. The estimated load is then adjusted for water treatment.

Your favourite lake may look picturesque, calm and inviting but beware what lurks beneath – aliens are on the attack.

After two years of groundwork, NIWA scientists have finally unlocked the mystery of the elusive lamprey breeding grounds.

NIWA scientists have secured funding for a project they hope will take them a step closer to discovering why the number of freshwater crayfish, or koura, in the Upper Waikato River has dramatically declined.

NIWA and Meridian are developing a management strategy on LINZ crown owned lakes for pest aquatic plants – weeds, the alga Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo) and filamentous green algae (both native and introduced) - in the Waitaki Catchment.

The River Environment Classification (REC) is a database of catchment spatial attributes, summarised for New Zealand's river network. The attributes were compiled for the purposes of river classification, while the river network description has been used to underpin models. 

NIWA are contributing to and testing the open source Delft3D model so that it can be used to simulate the response of braided rivers and their ecosystems to the changes in river flow associated with water use schemes, such as dams.

Farms rely on, and affect, the rivers, streams and estuaries around them. We provide resource management, research and technology services to help you optimise your water use and minimise environmental impacts.

The ability to properly manage our freshwater resources requires a solid understanding of the flora and fauna which live in and interact with them.