how we fail to protect freshwater

How We Fail to Protect Freshwater

Dr Mike Joy: IGPS Victoria University Wellington [email protected]

• What are the water issues in NZ?

• What are the drivers of the issues?

• NPS-FM Nitrate toxicity scam?

• What is water quality anyway?

• Dams?

• Where to next?

- 74% of freshwater fish threatened

- + crayfish and kakahi too - gone by 2050

- no protection under law for native freshwater fish

All sites

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

IBI s

co

re

26

28

30

32

34

Healthy

Doubtful

Moderate pollution

Severe pollution

Insect community index MCI

Abell et al. (2010): Ecosystems

Waikatolowland lakes

The two worlds: the best and the worst

Global comparisons

Where we are

Where we should be Physical Indicator

New Zealand's world ranking Per capita out of 158 countries (158 is

worst)

Phosphorus 145

Ecological Footprint 133

Land-Use Change 120

Material Footprint 119

Nitrogen 118

CO2 Emissions 107

Blue Water 99

Graphic from Susan WalkerLandcare NZ

What are the main drivers of our freshwater crisis?

wetland

Pre European

Dymond & Aussiel Landcare

“in no other kind of ecosystem has the elimination of indigenous biodiversity been so comprehensive” Geoff Park, Nga Uruoa.

“although for Maori they were priceless assets – rich, self-renewing sources of food and fibre, to Pakeha they were something useless to turn into excellent farmland” (Ikawai, R M McDowall)

$8 billion loss of ecosystem services, lost 74,000 tonnes of eels


Red is bad, blue is good - See a pattern here?

Multiple issues (e.g. + GHG) same cause

ammonia

Ecosystem health

Nitrate Total N

Pathogens


The response from government (MfE) to these issues the NPS-FM:

• 20 years (too) late

• The drivers of the problem not addressed

• Allowed more intensification (worsening)

• Science was lost from policy, attributes cherry picked to allow business as usual

The issues:

• Deposited sediment

• Nutrients

• Pathogens

• Abstraction

• Habitat loss

What we measure:

• Deposited sediment

• Nutrients*

• Pathogens*

• Abstraction

• Habitat loss

* = partially with big issues

NPS-FM introduction :”There are two compulsory values that must be managed for – ecosystem health and human health”

but nowhere in the NPS is there a measure of ecosystem health or human health issue of toxic cyanobacteria

- The nitrate toxicity red herring = limit setting on a false premise

- misinterpreted or misunderstood by regional councils e.g. ECAN 3.8 mg/l in plans

and false claims of improvement and 99% of NZ rivers score an ‘A’ (LAWA, Feds and RCs)

Why nitrate toxicity is not an issue

Excess nitrate periphyton growth O2 variability O2 extremes

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1 5711

316

922

528

133

739

344

950

556

161

767

372

978

584

189

795

310

0910

6511

2111

7712

3312

8913

4514

0114

5715

1315

6916

2516

8117

3717

9318

4919

0519

6120

1720

7321

2921

8522

4122

9723

5324

0924

6525

2125

7726

3326

8927

4528

0128

5729

1329

6930

2530

8131

3731

9332

4933

0533

6134

1734

7335

2935

8536

4136

9737

5338

0938

6539

2139

7740

3340

8941

4542

0142

5743

1343

6944

2544

8145

3745

9346

4947

0547

6148

1748

7349

2949

8550

4150

9751

5352

0952

6553

2153

7754

3354

8955

4556

0156

5757

1357

6958

2558

8159

3759

9360

4961

0561

6162

1762

7363

2963

8564

4164

9765

5366

0966

6567

2167

7768

3368

8969

4570

0170

5771

1371

6972

2572

8173

3773

9374

4975

0575

6176

1776

7377

2977

8578

4178

9779

5380

0980

6581

2181

7782

3382

8983

4584

0184

5785

1385

6986

2586

8187

37

Summer Winter Summer

% dissolved oxygen Hopelands Road Manawatu River Feb 2017 - Feb 2018

Note median 0.64 mg/l nitrate

ANZECC guideline limit for nuisance algal growth

Manawatu River at Hopelands Road (lethal low O2)

NPS/NOF bottom line (20% dead toxicity)

WHO human health limit (blue baby)

Dead no oxygen

Nit

rate

-nit

roge

n m

g/l

A

B

C

40

90

140

1 98 195

292

389

486

583

680

777

874

971

1068

1165

1262

1359

1456

1553

1650

1747

1844

1941

2038

2135

2232

2329

2426

2523

2620

2717

2814

2911

3008

3105

3202

3299

3396

3493

3590

3687

3784

3881

3978

4075

4172

4269

4366

4463

4560

4657

4754

4851

4948

5045

5142

5239

5336

5433

5530

5627

5724

5821

5918

6015

6112

6209

6306

6403

6500

6597

6694

6791

6888

6985

7082

7179

7276

7373

7470

7567

7664

7761

7858

7955

8052

8149

8246

8343

8440

8537

8634

8731

Hopelands Road

Dead toxic N





Dead no oxygen

Dead toxicity

Nit

rate

-nit

roge

n m

g/l

A

B

C The Yangtze & Mississippi rivers

40

90

140

1 98 195

292

389

486

583

680

777

874

971

1068

1165

1262

1359

1456

1553

1650

1747

1844

1941

2038

2135

2232

2329

2426

2523

2620

2717

2814

2911

3008

3105

3202

3299

3396

3493

3590

3687

3784

3881

3978

4075

4172

4269

4366

4463

4560

4657

4754

4851

4948

5045

5142

5239

5336

5433

5530

5627

5724

5821

5918

6015

6112

6209

6306

6403

6500

6597

6694

6791

6888

6985

7082

7179

7276

7373

7470

7567

7664

7761

7858

7955

8052

8149

8246

8343

8440

8537

8634

8731


Nitrogen toxicity scam




Dead no oxygen

Dead toxicity

Nit

rate

-nit

roge

n m

g/l

A

B

C Human colorectal cancer trigger drinking water (15% probability)

40

90

140

1 98 195

292

389

486

583

680

777

874

971

1068

1165

1262

1359

1456

1553

1650

1747

1844

1941

2038

2135

2232

2329

2426

2523

2620

2717

2814

2911

3008

3105

3202

3299

3396

3493

3590

3687

3784

3881

3978

4075

4172

4269

4366

4463

4560

4657

4754

4851

4948

5045

5142

5239

5336

5433

5530

5627

5724

5821

5918

6015

6112

6209

6306

6403

6500

6597

6694

6791

6888

6985

7082

7179

7276

7373

7470

7567

7664

7761

7858

7955

8052

8149

8246

8343

8440

8537

8634

8731

“A fresh start for freshwater” NPS-fm objectives 2014: (making the problem disappear)

A B C

Before After

All red areas exceed the ANZECC guideline to protect ecosystem health

Primary contact (health ministry level)

Secondary contact (safe in a boat?)

From 260 cfu/l to 1000 cfu/l

The government response to the crisis– shifting goalposts“A fresh start for freshwater” NPS-fm objectives 2014: (making the problem disappear)

After

Before

All red areas exceed MOH and ANZECC contact recreation limit

80% swimmable by 2030 & 90% swimmable by 2040

BUT: 1. Only applies to lakes > 1.5km diameter (25% of lakes) 2. Only applies to >4th order waterways and that is ~12% of length if NZ

waterways, 70% of them already swimmable so goal is actually 20% of 12 % 3. Limits shifted of 76 NWRQN sites number of sites swimmable under original

NPS 42%, under Clean Water 83% (NB, USEPA 49%)

Canterbury case study

1. Regional Plan Policy: Inequity of grand parenting.

2. Declining Water Quality: Nitrate load upward, Aquifers, Spring fed streams

3. Wrong Limits 3.8 mg/l

4. Human disease: high rates zoonotic disease (via water?)

5. Biodiversity Loss waterways and terrestrial

6. Over reliance on Models. Overseer etc.

7. Legal: Drinking Water Degradation

8. Fair representation: Zone Meetings, GMPs and FEPs….

9. Ethics: Worsening Water Quality in just 10 years.

10. Debt Burden: Land values anchored to polluting systems

https://theconversation.com/drinking-water-study-raises-health-concerns-for-new-zealanders-108510

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76

81

86

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Drinking water rural Canterbury 113 samples

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CCC drinking water data 2015 393 samples

15% risk

Significant risk

Christchurch City and rural Canterbury drinking water and colo-rectal cancer trigger levels

state trend

But dairy is the backbone of the economy isn’t it?

We (taxpayers) are paying/paid dairy farmers ~ $130 million not to farm, in an attempt to reduce nitrogen entering lake Taupo and Rotorua …

what about all the other lakes and rivers?

1. big issues with “water quality” what is it? & the way we do it (monthly snapshots)

2. NPS-fm flawed. Fails to meet any of its objectives a legacy of government failure over decades e.g. two sites on the Manawatu River a site can have the worst ecosystem respiration and GPP rates ever measured, have lethal low oxygen levels and still score an “A” for all NPS measures

3. Huge issues with old and failing wastewater infrastructure in urban areas ($2 billion just to meet B grade)

4. Regional authorities impossible dilemma of being charged with looking after short term economics and long term economics then measuring environmental state and then reporting on themselves

• We need a dam to save our overallocated imperilled river

• Dams will improve water ecology of rivers and will not mean worse water quality

• We need dams for climate change mitigation

• Dams are good for the local/regional economy

• Community collaboration is the answer

• Its unrealistic to want to have pristine waterways

• We cant feed the world without irrigation

Irrigation myth busting

Opuha Dam

Flood valley above

DAM

Increased GHG

emissions from

reservoir

People houses

heritage

Native flora and

fauna

Altered geomorphology

braids etc.

Ag. intensification

Altered sediment

movementImpact

freshwater biodiversity

Altered O2

variability

Increased GHG from

cows

Loss of terrestrial

biodiversity

Increased slime

accrual time

Flattened hydrograph

Increased evaporation

Depleted O2

slugs Decreased

swimmability

Fish migration impacts dam and

coast

Sustainable resilient alternatives to dams:

• Match land use to the land and climate

• Small on farm storage and water retention schemes, water efficiency –Doug Avery approach

• Wastewater recycling/irrigation

• Cover crops

• Bunds

• Drainage control

• Furrow dykes

• Swales

• No-spray buffers

• Move urgently away from animal based agriculture >50% of all green

house gas emissions come from animal agriculture

• Farm for profit not production – add value not volume

Dams

The future:

• Match land use to the land and climate

• Small on farm storage and water retention schemes, water efficiency – Doug Avery approachWastewater recycling/irrigation

• Cover crops

• Bunds

• Drainage control

• Furrow dykes

• Swales

• No-spray buffers

• Move urgently away from animal based agriculture >50% of all green house gas

emissions come from animal agriculture

• Farm for profit not production – add value not volume

Ripple, W.J., Wolf, C., Newsome, T.M., Galetti, M., Alamgir, M., Crist, E., Mahmoud, M.I., and Laurance, W.F. (2017) World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice. BioScience 67(12), 1026-1028.

Multiple threats coming climate change, overpopulation, peak everything ..

Food production NZ and globally – the threats to a liveable planet

Threats to the current food production model:

• The Nitrogen bomb

• Greenhouse gas emissions CO2 nitrous oxide & methane

• Peak phosphorus

• Antibiotic resistance

• Animal health and welfare & now mycobacterium bovis

• Human health pathogens & disease

• Freshwater availability

• Freshwater pollution rivers, lakes and groundwater's

• Pollution of estuaries and oceans

• The dominance of the human-animal food system

Wild mammals 2%

The future of food - how will this look for NZ?

Plus EROI?Ethical score?

With wilful blindness, delusion, ignorance, and refusal to see nature

as a community and instead regarding it all as a resource without

limits we keep using up natures capital.

But nature is calling in her debt.

Few are willing to face the truth

Brian Turner poet and environmentalist (September 14, 2014)

Doing nothing will not make you immune to the consequences

www.waterqualitynz.info

Activism is my rent for living on this planet (Alice Walker)

Thanks to:Victoria University IGPS,Freshwater activist friends students & colleagues all over New Zealand

how we fail to protect freshwater

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