Targeted Solutions to Balfour’s Environmental Challenges

Balfour

Catchment Group:

Balfour Catchment Group

Project:

Funding:

$159,700 excl. GST

Period:

Apr 22 to Jun 23

Project Description

The Balfour fan is well-known for being a ‘nitrate hotspot’, with some of its groundwater zones exceeding New Zealand and World Health Organisation levels for safe nitrate concentration in drinking water. Due to the nature of the aquifer not being flushed by alpine or hill country water, the concentrations of nitrate have been able to build to a sometimes toxic level.
This project looks to provide land managers with science-backed information and tools to make decisions on-farm that will reduce groundwater nitrate levels and episodic run-off such as sediment, phosphorous and E. coli.

The Balfour Catchment Group will be working with Land & Water Science to develop a high-resolution soil map of the Balfour fan using radiometrics and digital terrain modelling.

Objectives

Provide land managers with the science and tools to make decisions, take action and create environmental improvements.

Carry out an investigation into two challenging areas within the catchment.

Bring the community together through focus groups, field days and project learnings, and help to increase awareness, educate and change behaviour for the benefit of the environment.

Outcomes

Land managers have sufficient information and guidance to make changes that not only improve the environment but are also economically viable and backed by science.

There are multiple user-friendly platforms to engage with the project learnings that encourage practical actions beyond the Balfour Catchment Group.

Catchment Group members become more engaged and exhibit an increased sense of well-being through working together and taking proactive action as part of a strong and purposeful community.

Click here for the Catchment Group Page

BACK TO PROJECTS