The natural environment
Air |
Land |
Fresh water |
Coastal and marine |
Biodiversity |
Climate change
Fresh water
We often take having healthy freshwater
systems for granted. The city's large basalt aquifers and an historical tendency to pipe streams, means that we have relatively
few natural streams within our urban environment.
Stormwater and streams
One of the biggest issues that Auckland city faces is managing stormwater in a way that is safe, healthy and efficient. Most of
Auckland city's stormwater runoff flows off hard urban surfaces, like roads and roofs, and then travels underground in stormwater pipes
or in natural ground water aquifers to streams or the coast.
The streams that do remain fringe the isthmus and have short reaches to the coast. On the Hauraki Gulf islands, our streams are in a
more natural condition. However, the pressures of growth on the islands mean that we have to manage them carefully.
Stormwater
Stream values
There are three main values that we attach to our streams:
- drainage values
- habitat values
- public amenity values.
Consideration of these values assists in making decisions about the best management practice for a particular stream.
Managing streams
It is generally up to adjoining landowners of streams to manage and maintain them. We provide watercourse guidelines and other
support for landowners to help manage streams that flow through their properties.
Auckland City Council is responsible for managing five watercourses that run through public reserves - the Newmarket Stream, Oakley,
Meola, Motions and Remuera Creeks.
The council is working collaboratively with Metrowater to integrate stream values in to our stormwater improvement works and
maintenance programmes.
Watercourse guidelines
Metrowater (www.metrowater.co.nz)
Find out more
- Auckland City Council reports annually on freshwater in the State of the Environment report
- Auckland Regional Council is responsible for identifying the environmental effects from stormwater and for monitoring freshwater
and freshwater ecology
- the Ministry for the Environment has some key fresh-water sustainability programmes.
State of the Environment
Monitoring freshwater (www.arc.govt.nz)
Fresh-water sustainability programmes (www.mfe.govt.nz).
Published October 2008
