Why?
Streams provide homes for wildlife, water supplies for homes, industries and farms, and places of recreation and educational enjoyment for us all. Yet these waters are easily polluted. In recent years community groups have been forming across the region to help look after waterways and to keep an eye on local water quality.

Through their commitment and hard work, community water monitoring groups have proven that concerned, well trained volunteers can make significant contributions to the health of our waterways and our knowledge of water quality from the local to the catchment scale. There are many activities to get involved with around streams.

Water quality information collected from a stream and throughout a catchment provides a picture of the health of your waterways. Wai Care groups have initiated many positive, community based conservation activities such as planting and creek restoration, removing litter from waterways and eradicating weeds.

How?
Wai Care always welcomes new volunteers. You don't have to have a lot of scientific expertise, just an interest in the health of your local waterway. There are more than 50 groups throughout the Auckland Region.

Individual monitoring groups are usually made up of members who live close to a stream. Local people know their own area and are best able to identify problems and propose appropriate solutions. Group members who live close to a stream can observe changes that can occur on a daily basis. They have easier access to remote sites and can sample more frequently than scientists and government agencies. They can also respond to unpredictable events. For example, community monitoring of stormwater runoff in urban and rural areas has enabled groups to quickly identify the sources of pollution problems or identify a pollution event and are able to contact the ARC Pollution Control Team for assistance.

What would I be doing?
Some of the Wai Care activities you can choose to be involved in include:

• Water quality monitoring in your local catchment or stream
• Sampling for macroinvertebrates (bugs) and fish
• Raising awareness about catchment health and local water issues
• Drain stencilling
• Organising planting or clean-up days
• Promoting the Wai Care messages