‘MAKE YOUR STREAM MONITORING DATA COUNT!' is a new national quality assurance (QA) framework for community based freshwater monitoring initiatives. Hill Labs is proud to have played a role in supporting the development of this important resource, which includes a guidance document and electronic monitoring plan and field forms.
As with many others working in the environmental space, Hill Labs has noticed increased interest in freshwater quality from both urban and rural community-based groups. These community groups, which include catchment, iwi and industry-based groups, are highly engaged in improving local water quality outcomes and stream health.
We work with many of these groups, providing support as they embark on freshwater quality monitoring projects. Monitoring by these groups includes a range of activities, from on-site measurements such as temperature and visual clarity to collecting water samples for laboratory-based testing.
When the need for a nationwide framework was identified by NIWA and regional councils, Hill Labs was eager to contribute. We were also excited by the prospect that a nationwide QA framework may ultimately allow high-quality data sets collected by community groups to be collated at a national level.
To aid in the development of this framework, specifically in the area of water quality indicators that can be measured by nutrient self-test kits, Hill Labs provided water sample testing as part of a paired comparison between lab analysis and nutrient kits.
Jane Sherrard from Hill Labs remarked, "The guidance document included in the new framework provides an invaluable tool for community groups to confidently plan and undertake monitoring, knowing that their efforts are contributing to broader water quality outcomes. It was great to be involved."
The guidance document for national QA framework for community-based monitoring in Aotearoa New Zealand is now available here. For additional resources developed as part of the Make Your Stream Monitoring Data Count! framework, please visit the Wai Connection resources page here.
