Swimmers investigate water quality
Wanaka Lake Swimmers Club members have begun regular mid winter dips as part of a citizen science water quality project.
The samples the swimmers collect from Roys Bay during the next six months will complement the Curious Minds citizen science project, started in May, by Wanaka Primary School and Mt Aspiring College students.
Issues include the presence of lindavia and lake snot, now found in at least a dozen southern lakes, and the effects of stormwater drain runoff.
Project leader, Dunedin environment scientist Chris Arbuckle, will fine tune the methods and paperwork before the project begins in earnest on July 30.
Water samples will be sent to a Christchurch laboratory.
Arbuckle and his Touchstone team will analyse completed data sheets.
Club president Jackie Boyd said swimmers were keen to find out more about the quality of the water they were swimming in.
‘‘We had noticed changes in clarity and the residue left after swimming, wanted to find out why, and had a chance to be involved,’’ she said.
Arbuckle said Wanaka Primary School’s citizen scientists would present their work on four ‘‘freshwater beasties’’ – tuna, koara, grebe and trout – after the school holidays.
They have been checking storm water drains and working around Bullock Creek, which feeds into Roys Bay, while the college team has been investigating an area between Bremner Bay and the boat ramp on Lakeside Rd.
Other simple monitoring tools included taking photographs, drag line sampling and tracking rubbish inputs, he said.
The citizen science project has more than $18,000 in funding from various sources, including the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Unlocking Curious Minds fund.