STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT MONITORING

SOE PROCESSING FOR REGIONAL COUNCILS
Service Areas: State of the Environment Monitoring, Aquatic Sample Processing

As part of their responsibilities under the Resource Management Act, regional councils monitor the state of their region’s waterways on a yearly basis. 

In a great example of councils working together to procure services, EOS Ecology provides State of the Environment monitoring for six of the North Island’s nine regional councils. These include Auckland Council, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, and Greater Wellington.

As sole service provider we offer a uniform, high quality sample processing methodology and reporting framework. This makes it easier for councils and others to compare and monitor datasets, which is particularly important for national SOE reporting.

To be able to provide this service to over a third of the country’s regional councils is testament to our continued focus on quality and ongoing investment in our lab.

CANTERBURY SOE PROCESSING – QUALITY ASSURANCE
Service Areas: State of the Environment Monitoring, Aquatic Sample Processing

EOS Ecology is helping to ensure reliability of invertebrate processing methodology for Environment Canterbury’s busy laboratory by providing Quality Assurance for some of their processed samples. Staff at EOS ensure high quality QA results thanks to their excellent invertebrate identification skills and attention to detail.

As well as carrying out custom QA/QC methodologies, EOS has plenty of experience with the standard QC protocols of Stark et al (2001), which are commonly used for SOE programmes of many other regional councils. In addition, EOS staff regularly carry out internal QC of each other’s work, so we can ensure our sample processing and invertebrate IDs are of the highest quality.

OTAGO SOE MONITORING PROGRAMME
Service Areas: State of the Environment Monitoring, Aquatic Sample Processing

EOS Ecology was commissioned by Otago Regional Council to undertake their annual State of the Environment monitoring programme. Sampling 30 freshwater sites across the region, the information gathered helps determine the health of Otago’s waterways.

The field programme involves collecting invertebrate and periphyton samples at each site, along with carrying out the newly developed “Stream Habitat Assessment Protocol” which involves detailed measurement of instream and riparian habitat characteristics. The EOS team also processed the invertebrate samples (identifying taxa to MCI level) and provided the Otago Regional Council with an accurate data set from which to assess the state of the region’s waterways.