Sunday, 5 July 2015

Waterway Report

We have a lot of waterways in Christchurch, some are man made and some are natural,  like the Avon, Styx and more. In term two we are learning about the ecosystem so we went and tested our water ways.

Our waterways 
Do you know how a river is made? It is made by springs and so when the aquifer water squirts up it makes a stream then it turns into rivers! And then makes tributaries!
When it rains, the water goes in the stormwater system which is a type of trench that has pieces of wood holding the sides up, so the rain lands on the pavement and rolls into it. Then the overflow goes to the rivers. 

The ecosystem is an important part of our waterways. It includes creatures and the habitats they rely on, and the food they live on, like the common bully he relies on macro invertebrates and crustaceans for food. And the mudfish relies on sediment because he burrows himself in it when it is a very hot day. And the paradise duck relies on shade over the river to keep cool in hot days. There are lots examples of ecosystem, the point is that creatures rely on a lot of things to survive.

Healthy waterways and not healthy waterways 
There are lots of ways to see that a waterway is healthy or not. An example of healthy waterways are ones with short layers of algae because if algae is too stringy fishes will get stuck and die, and under control animal life. The water temperature is an important part of health for waterways because if it is cool (under 15 degrees).  Cool water is good for macroinvertebrates and fishes. 
If algae is too long, when a creature is swimming down the stream they get stuck and the algae gets in their breathing hole and then they die, but if it is healthy then they eat it because it is thin. Erosion is a different story, if it is unhealthy then the dirt on the bank will invade the river and make it flood. And if it is healthy then the bank is secure.                          

My class have been on some trips to local waterways. We were using special tools like  an invertebrate survey which is used to find out what type of invertebrate are in the river. We used a sieve on a stick, it is actually called a trd to scoop up macro invertebrates, and a spoon to scoop the macro-invertebrates.  We also used a thing called an in stream and riparian survey to rate the habitats like how fast is the stream or what is the algae like.

Dudley creek findings 

We went to Dudley creek and it got 35 so that means it is in fair health. It got a 8 for algae because it was a thin film so macroinvertebrates can eat it.  The streamflow got a 6 because it was slow at some bits and fast at other bits. The sediment is 6 which meant that it was 25% mud. 

Suggested changes 
Now it's up to you to change our waterways, here are some tips to save the world. 
You should wash your car in the lawn because if you do it on the driveway then it rolls down the driveway and Into a drain. 
Keep all washing or garden liquids away from the drains so it won't go in them
Make sure that your car has a warrant of fitness so that no oil leaks out
You can get some rocks or pebbles and throw them in the waterway so the streamflow will be fast and there will be no sediment 

Kaitiakitanga is a Maori word for caring for the land for future generations, like at the waimakariri river, the Maori people who lived there when someone passed away they tied them to the river bank so the fish could eat them. And the fish would live a healthy lifestyle. 


Are lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks, 

Stormwater system 
A trench that is used for storing rainwater. 

It was a long hole that soldiers in world war 1 used to take cover 

Stuff from the animal kingdom 

Places where things live 

common bully 
A type of fish

An insect with no backbone 

a type of fish 

a type of weed that grows on rocks

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