Water quality database

One of the most significant parts of monitoring is collecting data in the field. For the information obtained to be useful to both you and others, it’s important to store it appropriately. This can be both hardcopy or online. Wai Care has a regional water quality database which has been populated by groups across the region over the last 10 years. The database is very easy to use and links your data with the geographical location of your sites. This means you can see your site relative to your catchment, other groups and across the region.    

What data do we collect?

Wai Care groups collect data about a wide variety of water quality parameters. The most common tests performed are those measuring temperature (air and water), turbidity, pH, phosphate, nitrate and dissolved oxygen. Macroinvertebrate  information is also collected to give an indication of water quality. The information obtained from these tests is uploaded into the Wai Care Water Quality Database.

What do we do with the data we collect?

The data in the database can be selected based on your interests and purposes. For example: You have been asked to study water quality across the Auckland Region and decide where the best streams are. You would like to see how your site has changed over the time you have been monitoring. You would like to see where all the mayflies live across the region. You would like to look at your site and compare it to other streams further up the catchment. You would like to see what impact your restoration planting has had on water quality over time. You can select several different parameters and map and graph them to get the information you want. You can also download the data in Microsoft Excel Format which means you can easily run statistical analysis.