Freshwater environment

Auckland's Freshwater Environment

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Did you know there are over 10,000 kilometres of streams in our Region yet most are less than two metres wide, almost small enough to jump across! The Hoteo is Auckland's largest river with a catchment of 405 km².

Groundwater is held in small spaces and fractures in rock below the ground surface called aquifers. Some aquifers in Auckland hold water that is hundreds of years old. In some, water is heated at depth and rises to the surface as geothermal springs, such as Waiwera and Parakai.

Lakes in the Auckland Region are divided into several groups: reservoirs (such as Mangatawhiri), West Coast sand dune lakes (e.g. Ototoa), volcanic (e.g. Pupuke) and peat lakes (e.g. Tomarata).

Get involved

You can help to protect and enhance Auckland's freshwater environment:

• learn about what Waicare groups do and how you could join
• fence streams, lakes and wetlands to prevent stock access
• plant edges of streams and lakes to stabilise banks, capture contaminants and lower water temperatures
• don't tip waste and other pollutants down stormwater drains
• make sure of any resource consent requirements before you do any work within a stream, lake or wetland, or discharge any contaminants.