Water experts meet in New Zealand

NIWA Media Release

Water experts meet in New Zealand

Water pollution is a global problem. The most challenging aspect of water pollution to solve is ‘diffuse pollution’ such as run-off from land surfaces. Diffuse Pollution is the most important source of pollution in New Zealand.

NIWA Chief Scientist Freshwater and Coasts Dr Clive Howard Williams says, “We estimate that 75% of the nitrogen and phosphorus runoff to the sea in New Zealand rivers originates from modified, mostly pastoral, land-use. We do have a recognised problem and we need to solve it.”

In New Zealand, water quality has generally worsened despite massive expenditure over three decades on the clean-up of 'point' pollution from factories and sewage. “Diffuse pollution from pastoral agriculture greatly outweighs point pollution with forty-two percent of our land area used this way,” says NIWA co-chair of the organising committee Rob Davies-Colley.

International water quality and water pollution experts are meeting in New Zealand in Rotorua next week, 19–23 September, for the 15th International Water Association’s Diffuse Pollution Specialist conference – DIPCON for short. It will provide a forum for discussion of international developments in science and policy approaches to diffuse pollution control.

DIPCON is the major international forum for scientists, engineers, economists, resource managers, non-governmental organisations, and others, to address water pollution from land use, internationally and locally.

Experts will present the latest research results, developments, and applications in diffuse water pollution control. The attendees at the conference will represent 28 countries.

Plenary Speakers

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright is one of six plenary speakers at the conference. She will be ultimately responsible for regular, independent national environmental reporting in New Zealand, consistent with other OECD countries, if a proposed environmental reporting bill proceeds. Plenary speaker Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman has a special focus on diffuse water pollution as highlighted on his kayak tours on more than 20 rivers and lakes around New Zealand. Another plenary speaker, Dr Kevin Parris, an economist with OECD in France, will talk on “opportunities for lowering diffuse water pollution from agriculture” – addressing an issue of major on-going concern in New Zealand.

NIWA’s Chief Scientist Freshwater and Coasts, Dr Clive Howard-Williams, will lead discussion in an OECD-sponsored symposium on Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes. There is awareness of the functions that wetlands play in landscapes, such as retention of nutrients and sediments, improving water clarity, providing habitat for valued wildlife and plants and controlling water runoff. The big question for the symposium, says NIWA’s Dr Chris Tanner, is ‘How much wetland should be retained in productive land-use areas to take advantage of these natural functions? The symposium has a very exciting line-up of international speakers on this highly topical subject.

A range of workshops, co-ordinated by NIWA Principal Scientist, Dr Bob Wilcock, will cover topical aspects of diffuse pollution including industrial estates, agricultural pollution, environmental report cards, and nutrient loads on lakes. The workshops will provide the hands-on, interactive part of the conference.

Mid-week there are field trips which will visit the Rotorua lakes (with Bay of Plenty Regional Council sponsorship) and Taupo and the upper Waikato (with sponsorship from the Waikato Regional Council).

Special combined session on “Microbial Diffuse Pollution”

DIPCON will be held concurrently with a conference of the IWA Health-Related Water Microbiology Specialist Group (HRWM), and will feature a special combined session on “Microbial Diffuse Pollution” co-chaired by NIWA Principal Scientist, Dr Graham McBride.

McBride says that microbial sources at the catchment level are a current hot topic in environmental microbiology, and of great importance in New Zealand with our predominantly pastoral agriculture.

A leading expert, Prof. David Kay of University of Wales, will be giving a plenary address in the special joint session and participating in a workshop on catchment microbial modelling.

HRWM Workshop (Sun 18 Sept, 1 - 5pm) on International Catchment Microbial Modelling Programme is now available and DIPCON attendees are welcome to register.

NIWA is the main sponsor of this year’s DIPCON conference.

Conference Details

The conference will be held at the Energy Events Centre, in Rotorua, New Zealand, from 18-23 September, 2011. See the conference web site at www.dipcon2011.org for registration, conference details and programme information.

ends

© Scoop Media