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Opihi River at SH1 Bridge

The Opihi River is a hill-fed river, with a braided gravel bed

The Opihi River at SH1 is located on the lower reaches of the Opihi River near Temuka. This braided river site is popular for swimming and fishing, however potentially toxic algal warnings have been issued to this site in the past.

Can I Swim Here?
Live Data
Automatic 'live data' sampling

Some sites have telemetry monitoring systems in place that can provide up to the minute data. At this site the following live data measurements are available. Click on the data type for more information.

  • Flow

    • Last 7 days
    • Last 30 days
    • Last 12 months

    What is this graph showing me?

    The live flow estimate for this site.

    Live data has not been checked for accuracy before displaying. To give you an idea about how much water that is, 0.7 cumecs (m3/sec) would fill an Olympic swimming pool in an hour. A flow of 42 cumecs (m3/sec) would fill the same pool in a minute.

Disclaimer

The Environmental Data displayed on this page should be used as a guide only. LAWA takes no responsibility for the accuracy of information presented, and accepts no liability for actions taken of others based on this information.
Ecology
Ecological data for this site

This dashboard shows information on macroinvertebrate data collected by regional councils and unitary authorities.  Select an indicator to see the available historical results.

Select a time period

  • 10 years
  • 15 years

Macroinvertebrates

MCI
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State

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Attribute Band
Trend
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Sample history at this site

Showing:
MCI samples for Opihi River at SH1 Bridge
MCI score

What is this graph showing me?

This graph is displaying MCI scores over the selected time period.  You can adjust this period by changing the dropdowns.  These records for the basis for the state and trends displayed on the dashboard.

Find out about how State and Trend are calculated.

What do the attribute band icons mean?

The bands for MCI are as outlined in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020

A
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of pristine conditions with almost no organic pollution or nutrient enrichment.
B
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of mild organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. Largely composed of taxa sensitive to organic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
C
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of moderate organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. There is a mix of taxa sensitive and insensitive to organic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
National bottom line: MCI score 90
D
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of severe organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. Communities are largely composed of taxa insensitive to inorganic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
QMCI
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State

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Attribute Band
Trend
{{trendMsg(QMCI)}}

Sample history at this site

Showing:
QMCI samples for Opihi River at SH1 Bridge
QMCI score

What is this graph showing me?

This graph is displaying QMCI scores over the selected time period.  You can adjust this period by changing the dropdowns.  These records for the basis for the state and trends displayed on the dashboard.

Find out about how State and Trend are calculated.

What do the attribute band icons mean?

The bands for QMCI are as outlined in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020

A
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of pristine conditions with almost no organic pollution or nutrient enrichment.
B
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of mild organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. Largely composed of taxa sensitive to organic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
C
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of moderate organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. There is a mix of taxa sensitive and insensitive to organic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
National bottom line: QMCI score 4.5
D
Macroinvertebrate community indicative of severe organic pollution or nutrient enrichment. Communities are largely composed of taxa insensitive to inorganic pollution/nutrient enrichment.
ASPM
{{medianValue('ASPM')}}
State

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Attribute Band
Trend
{{trendMsg(ASPM)}}

Sample history at this site

Showing:
ASPM samples for Opihi River at SH1 Bridge
ASPM score

What is this graph showing me?

This graph is displaying ASPM scores over the selected time period.  You can adjust this period by changing the dropdowns.  These records for the basis for the state and trends displayed on the dashboard.

Find out about how State and Trend are calculated.

What do the attribute band icons mean?

The bands for ASPM are as outlined in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020

A
Macroinvertebrate communities have high ecological integrity, similar to that expected in reference conditions.
B
Macroinvertebrate communities have mild-to moderate loss of ecological integrity.
C
Macroinvertebrate communities have moderate-to-severe loss of ecological integrity.
National bottom line: ASPM score 0.3
D
Macroinvertebrate communities have severe loss of ecological integrity.
  • Taxonomic richness

    The median of the last 5 years of data

    {{medianValue("TaxaRichness")}}
    Taxonomic richness is the number of different taxa present in an ecological community identified to the best possible level.

    Taxa richness history at this site

    Showing:
    Taxa richness for Opihi River at SH1 Bridge
    Number of taxa

    What is this graph showing me?

    This graph is displaying Taxonomic richness over the selected time period.  You can adjust this period by changing the dropdowns.  These records for the basis for the state displayed on the dashboard.

  • Percent EPT richness

    The median of the last 5 years of data

    {{medianValue("PercentageEPTTaxa")}}
    EPT are macroinvertebrates that are sensitive to water pollution. These are Ephemeroptera (mayfly), Plecoptera (stonefly) and Trichoptera (caddisfly).

    EPT history at this site

    Showing:
    Percent EPT richness for Opihi River at SH1 Bridge
    EPT %

    What is this graph showing me?

    This graph is displaying percent EPT taxa over the selected time period.  You can adjust this period by changing the dropdowns.  These records for the basis for the state displayed on the dashboard.

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