It is critical that we protect New Zealand’s freshwater resources from overuse, yet there is a lack of data on the impacts of water use on the freshwater system. At present we can estimate the maximum potential pressures through consented legal allocations, but not the actual alterations in streamflow. This study demonstrates a replicable methodology for estimating the effects of actual water use on natural streamflow, using data from Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils. It builds on previous methods for estimating the effects of freshwater extractions by comparing daily measured abstraction rates to daily measured streamflow, allowing much more precise insights than previously possible.
It is critical that we protect New Zealand’s freshwater resources from overuse, yet there is a lack of data on the impacts of water use on the freshwater system. At present we can estimate the maximum potential pressures through consented legal allocations, but not the actual alterations in streamflow. This study demonstrates a replicable methodology for estimating the effects of actual water use on natural streamflow, using data from Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils. It builds on previous methods for estimating the effects of freshwater extractions by comparing daily measured abstraction rates to daily measured streamflow, allowing much more precise insights than previously possible.