Environmental Monitoring and Reporting
The IWS monitoring team has expertise in the following areas:
- Stormwater monitoring
- Stormwater sampling
- Trade waste monitoring
- Trade waste sampling
- Wastewater sampling
- pH probe servicing and maintenance
- Grease trap and grease convertor monitoring
- Groundwater monitoring
- Wastewater plant and receiving environment compliance monitoring
- Landfill Leachate Monitoring
- Resource consent administration and management
Stormwater Monitoring and Sampling
Introduction
Contaminants such as heavy metals (zinc, copper and lead) and synthetic organics (oil and other petrochemical derivatives) can be measured industrial stormwater runoff throughout Auckland. IWS Group have long been concerned about the potential mixture of chemicals that can be present in poorly managed industrial site stormwater runoff and the potential effects that they can cause on the receiving waterways.
To mitigate against stormwater discharges from higher-risk industrial sites, Industrial Trade Activity (ITA) consents are required with Local Council to promote regular monitoring of water quality to ensure compliance with the consent requirements. Our clients use this information for loss monitoring to isolate certain areas of their industrial site, find the problems in a treatment system and identify maintenance requirements of filters.
Rather than addressing the water quality related issue at the catchment, we believe in a preventative approach 'upstream' to limit contaminants entering the system in the first place. We do this through effective monitoring and data collection.
One of the most difficult to quantify and manage is the cumulative effect that arises from minor and seemingly insignificant discharges that routinely occur as a part of industrial site activities. The initial runoff that occurs from hard surfaces when it rains, termed the ‘first flush’ is often found to be the most heavily contaminated as later runoff has lower levels of contaminants to be washed off and there is greater volume for dilution. Click here for further information on stormwater.
Our Professional Service to You
In order to meet ITA consents requirements, we provide composite water sample collection, pH logging and analysis equipment to monitor various parameters.This provides us with unparalleled insight into detailed trends and historic patterns of stormwater during a rainfall event. Interpretation and reporting on compliance of the resulting data with the specified standard can then be conducted. A wide range of analytes can be arranged with results being available on an urgent basis if required. These include:
- Heavy metals (Aluminium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Zinc)
- Total Suspended Solids
- Oil & Grease
- pH
- Sulphate
- Electroconductivity
- COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
- BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
- Nutrients (Phosphorus, Nitrogen)
- Organic Compounds (Pesticides, VOCs, SVOCs, PAHs, BTEX)
Trade Waste Monitoring and Sampling
Wastewater discharges from industrial and commercial sites may contain contaminants at concentrations that can affect the quality of receiving waters or interfere with publicly owned treatment systems that receive those discharges. To mitigate against this, Trade Waste Agreements (TWA's) have been introduced in conjunction with the Auckland Trade Waste Bylaw 2013, the region-wide standard for the management, regulation and risk classification of trade waste.
Trade waste sampling or trade waste monitoring is required under some TWAs or consents. IWS can undertake the sampling, interpret the resulting data and report on compliance with the specified standard. IWS has a range of sampling, logging and analysis equipment, which can be used to monitor various parameters. Examples are pH, temperature, conductivity and flow logging, grab and composite sample collection. A wide range of chemical and biological analyses can be arranged for the client, with results being available on an urgent basis if required.
pH Probe Servicing and Calibration
Trade waste pH monitoring ensures waste water discharges 
to the network are not too excessively acidic or alkaline. Prolonged high or low pH can deteriorate publicly-owned underground infrastructure including pumps, concrete pump chambers and pipe linings. pH compliance is therefore an important parameter to meet, and often requires advanced understanding of pH equipment to ensure accuracy and consistent data. Being specialists at installing pH correction equipment, we offer regular calibration and maintenance of equipment such as pH probes, sondes, dosing pumps and control systems.
Grease Trap and Grease Convertor Monitoring
Under the Trade Waste Bylaw restaurants, cafes, fast-food premises and takeaways outlets are required to maintain their grease/fat traps or grease convertors and ensure their discharge is under certain limits. IWS Group can advise on this and collect samples to ensure you are compliant with the requirements of the relevant Trade Waste Bylaw.
Wastewater Plant and Receiving Environment Compliance Monitoring
When a site has a wastewater discharge consent to land there is often a requirement for ongoing compliance monitoring of the discharge. IWS Group has expertise in monitoring programme design, sample collection, laboratory results interpretation and then producing reports to meet council requirements.
Landfill Leachate Monitoring
A large number of capped landfills existing around New Zealand which require a resource consent for the discharge of leachate. IWS Group can assist with the monitoring requirements of these resource consents. This can involve:
- Collection and testing of water samples from bores, discharge points and/or the receiving environment.
- Observations and reports on the ground conditions, vegetation state and landfill cap condition.
- Reporting to meet council requirements.
Resource Consent Administration and Management
For companies with multiple sites, management of resource consents can cause headaches. The consents and their compliance requirements will vary across the different city councils, district councils and regional councils. IWS Group can assist with the interpretation and management of these resource consents to ensure all requirements are understood and met. This may also include the development of compliance schedules to assist staff in the field with managing each sites compliance status.