Pump Stations / Farm Drains Water Sample Collections

Monitoring Rural Runoff to Support Long-Term Water Quality Improvements

We have a contract with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to collect water samples from pump stations and farm drains in the Pukehina area.

Every three months, we gather water samples from 12 farm drains throughout the area. We also collect monthly samples from four pump station auto-samplers, giving long-term insights into water quality trends.

We used to send them to Hills Laboratory in Hamilton, which involved a 6 a.m. start in order to catch the courier. It’s been a mission in the recent weather and in the dark! However, we now deliver the various samples to the BOPRC laboratory in Whakatāne.

This is an important part of our water work. We work with Natalie Fenwick from BOPRC on this project.