Worsening groundwater pollution shows our long-term water problems – Expert Reaction
Tehnuka Ilanko
Over a third of NZ’s monitored groundwaters saw a rise in nitrate levels in the last two decades, likely because of human activities such as farming and wastewater.
That’s one of the findings from the latest three-yearly report assessing the state of our rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, and glaciers.
Our Freshwater 2026 focuses on groundwater quality as a signal of long-term problems with our freshwater, as pollution that reaches groundwater can take years to decades to flush out....