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Gisborne Herald
Thursday, August 25, 2011

HUNDREDS of juvenile green-lipped mussels attached to various structures within and outside Gisborne harbour have begun an important role in monitoring the quality of water in the bay.

Mussels were chosen to help assess water quality because they are filter feeders and any traces of contamination will show in their gut.

Samples will be tested for trace chemicals and the presence of human faecal indicators, bacteria and viruses specific to the human gut.

More general indicators of environmental contamination from animals and other sources are expected to be identified.

Several mussel lines, each two metres long with hundreds of mussels on each, have been placed in the harbour and bay since late June. More could be placed in the bay over the next six months.

Gisborne District Council’s Wastewater Technical Advisory Group has contracted Bill and Ian Ruru of Maumahara Education to undertake a short-term pilot study and develop a monitoring programme that includes using kaimoana as natural biological indicators of health.

This will form part of the ongoing monitoring of the Gisborne wastewater treatment plant, required under its resource consent.

Mussels (kutai), tuatua, tuangi (cockles) and pipi will be sampled from between The Cut at the harbour entrance to the Wherowhero Lagoon.

Ian Ruru said the mussel lines were brought in from the west coast of the North Island.

“We made sure to obtain the cleanest mussels available from a farm on the West Coast. This will provide a fair comparison with local kaimoana tested before the treatment plant was commissioned in January.”

John Mackay of Gisborne business, dnature diagnostics & research Ltd will test for human and animal DNA.

Although ESR has tested mussels and other shellfish for some time, he believes this is the first time that so-called sentinels have been placed to monitor wastewater in New Zealand. The method has been described overseas.

Technical advisory group chairman Bevan Turnpenny said mussels were ideal because they could be secured in one place and were easy to collect.

“This ensures consistency over time which can’t be obtained from spatially-variable benthic species such as tuatua. We are also looking to this pilot study to help us improve the measurement of water quality indicators without any increase in cost.”

Medical Officer of Health Dr Bruce Duncan said the development was exciting for various reasons.

“First, we are using a part of the biological life of the bay to monitor wastewater treatment effectiveness. While it’s not the first time mussels have been used, their use (as a monitor) links the impact of human waste and the effectiveness of its treatment directly to any impact on kaimoana.

“The applications are much wider, though, with the possibility that we can use the shellfish to monitor the state of all contamination in the bay, including that from surface and stormwater run-off into rivers.

“Linking with DNA testing increases the sophistication of testing. We can now identify the source of contamination much more accurately — for example, whether it is animal or human.

“There are further exciting opportunities with this work. Shellfish may have an important role to play in improving water quality, indeed, they may have a specific place in wastewater treatment.

“I think this work also reflects the innovative local approach to wastewater management — the whole community, including tangata whenua, industry and the council working collaboratively to a common goal of improving the environment we live and play in.”

Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 4:30 pm
Press Release: Gisborne District Council

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release, 12 February 2008

Committee to watch over wastewater upgrade

One of the watchdogs of the city’s wastewater upgrade will hold its inaugural meeting next week.

The Wastewater Management Committee will meet for the first time next Wednesday [subs:20 February] to decide, among other issues, the makeup of the Independent Review Panel. Together, the two bodies will keep a close eye on the project to ensure the intent of the consent is met.

Establishing the two groups is a condition of the 35-year resource consents, approved last September, that enable the wastewater system upgrade to go ahead.

The Wastewater Management Committee of eight comprises tangata whenua representatives Peter Brown, Lewis Jones, Ian Ruru and Stan Pardoe, and councillors Bill Burdett (chair), Andy Cranston, Roger Haisman and Brian Wilson. Mayor Meng Foon is an ex officio member and other members may be appointed as required.

The committee will monitor various aspects of the consents -- the implementation and commissioning of the wastewater treatment plant, research into alternative use and disposal research, trials and implementation, and compliance with permit conditions and separated industry wastewater standards. It will also ensure appropriate educational information is developed to encourage reductions in domestic and industrial wastewater, alternative use and disposal and develop and administer the Turanganui a Kiwa Water Quality Enhancement Project.

Bill Burdett is pleased with the committee’s balance.

“This committee is a partnership and tangata whenua have an important role to play. It’s not Council telling the community what to do. We will have complete oversight of the project and expect to get the project done with tight reins on cost.

“I have for a long time recognised the need for tangata whenua concerns to be met, to get waste out of the bay, but to do that without any economic impact on the community is near impossible. Now we have the best of both worlds, with a resource consent that is workable. It is a good investment for the city going forward.”

Stan Pardoe, who represents Rongowhakaata, is deputy chair of Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa and chair of the Rongowhakaata Trust.

“We think the new initiative is a real plus. It’s a costly project but if we can treat wastewater to a higher standard, then why not?”

Peter Brown, representing Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa, has a strong background in environmental and business management. He is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and the board of Maori tourism venture Te Puia.

Whakatane-based Lewis Jones has a background in wastewater treatment. Representing Ngai Tamanuhiri, he is a sales rep for a chemical company providing products to water and wastewater industries. He says the Gisborne project is a positive step in line with national moves to upgrade wastewater treatment and disposal.

Freshwater and marine scientist Ian Ruru, representing Te Aitanga a Mahaki, studied Gisborne’s rock lobster fishery as part of his tertiary qualifications. Based in Gisborne, he manages projects throughout the country. He says it is important that the project meets all the consent requirements in a timely and prudent manner.

Councillor and active surfer Andy Cranston is pleased to be part of the group monitoring the issue.

“The bay has over the years become a vastly better environment but there is still a way to go. I am enthusiastic that we will all be able to work together to make ‘our place’ an even better place.”