Mid Canterbury communities develop strategies for managing clean, accessible & efficiently used water

Exploring HydroMetrics Case Studies Wainono Farms

Case Study 1

Project: Community engagement & education via data insights delivered using HydroMetrics GW50™ portable nitrate sensors

Working with: Mid Canterbury Catchment
Collective (MCCC)

The Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective team has effectively combined with multiple smaller catchment groups to jointly deliver their mission: “Bringing ideas, action and science together to improve our environmental footprint, support catchment group initiatives and champion community wellbeing.”

Many factors contribute to improving the health of our waterways, and engaged communities are taking a holistic approach to identify and implement enduring solutions. Monitoring nitrogen levels with portable sensors is a powerful tool for pin-pointing cause and effect, something that was costly to achieve before the real-time technology.

High nitrate concentrations in groundwater are a concern for human health and for the environment. New Zealand drinking-water standards set a maximum acceptable value (MAV) for nitrate nitrogen at 11.3 mg/L.

The MCCC proactively accessed grant funding and purchased portable nitrate sensors from HydroMetrics, putting these devices in the hands of a wide range of members, to test the water in their regions.

Impact: The data the MCCC has collected has delivered significant insights into the health of their various catchments and built a science-based approach to tackling these important issues.

MCCC water testing

Case Study 2

Project: Reduced fertiliser use through irrigation nitrogen recycling on a Canterbury farm

Working with: Hekeao / Hinds Water Enhancement Trust

The Hekeao/Hinds catchment is a farming area in Mid Canterbury representing one of the most productive irrigated agricultural regions in New Zealand. Despite ongoing advancements in nutrient and irrigation management, it still faces significant environmental pressures due to high nitrate concentrations in groundwater.

Hekeao / Hinds Water Enhancement Trust engaged HydroMetrics to design and install real-time monitoring of irrigation water at a Canterbury dairy farm to quantify the potential fertiliser savings and implications of irrigating with groundwater containing high nitrate levels.

Previous reports highlight the potentially significant contribution of nitrogen coming from high nitrate-N groundwater sources utilised for irrigation. Accurate measurement and application data are required to precisely measure the full potential of fertiliser substitution.

Impact: High nitrate concentrations in groundwater are a concern for human health and for the environment. New Zealand drinking-water standards set a maximum acceptable value (MAV) for nitrate nitrogen at 11.3 mg/L. Potential fertiliser savings are possible, with associated economic, environmental, and health benefits.

Cows irrigator 3