Our vital rivers

OPINION: If Christchurch residents were asked about the features that help to define the identity of their city, one obvious response would be the Port Hills. Yet although these hills loom large over the built-up areas of the city, more important to the character of Christchurch are surely the winding Avon and Heathcote rivers, the smaller streams which feed these waterways and the Estuary into which the two rivers discharge, writes The Press in an editorial.

For this reason, the health of the city's rivers must not be taken for granted, which is why the decision by Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the Christchurch City Council to mount a joint public awareness campaign to improve the water quality of urban rivers and streams is a welcome step.

Relations between the two councils have at times been sour. This was highlighted by ECan's decision to take legal action against the city council in 2005 over stormwater discharge at the Aidanfield subdivision.

That action was ultimately withdrawn and, in more recent times, the two councils have shown a greater spirit of co-operation, notably in the drawing up of the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy. Although there has been friction over the practical attainability of ECan's water quality standards, collaboration over the water campaign is a sign that the two councils can work together on this issue.

It is vital that the two councils do co-operate on city water standards, for which each has significant and inter-related responsibilities. Water quality is the responsibility of ECan while the city council is responsible for stormwater and wastewater discharges, through the consents process. The city council currently faces the expensive challenge of upgrading the stormwater infrastructure, which is a task made more difficult because much of Christchurch was built on a swamp and many of the ageing pipes are below water level.

The water quality campaign over the winter months was sparked by the concern which arose over a diesel spill into the Heathcote River in 2006, which killed numerous ducks, cost around $80,000 to clean up and which led to the prosecution of local company Steelbro.

Undoubtedly another catalyst for the publicity campaign was a series of articles in The Press last year on the state of our rivers. This series was prompted by an ECan report which warned that the city's waterways posed a danger to public health.

This newspaper's investigations into the degraded rivers made for alarming reading, not just because of the accidental spills of pollutants, but also because of the propensity of some residents or businesses to regard the city's waterways as a dumping ground for their rubbish.

This series clearly played its part in raising public awareness of the importance of the waterways for Christchurch and the myriad of factors surrounding water quality. It also reinforced the reality that improving the state of our urban rivers and streams is not just an issue for local councils, but one that must be tackled by the entire community.

The publicity campaign by the two councils should play a valuable role in sustaining this heightened consciousness of our waterways and further showing what residents can do to improve water quality for the sake of future generations.

- © Fairfax NZ News