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Resource Management Act 1991

Schedule 3: Water quality classes

You could also call this:

“Guidelines for different water quality levels and their uses”

This schedule outlines different water quality classes and their standards. Each class is managed for a specific purpose, such as aquatic ecosystems, fisheries, or water supply. The standards apply after any contaminants have mixed with the water and don’t consider natural changes that might affect the water.

For most classes, the water temperature shouldn’t change by more than 3°C. The amount of dissolved oxygen should be high, usually over 80% of what the water can hold. The water shouldn’t be changed in ways that harm aquatic life, make fish unsafe to eat, or make it unsuitable for its intended use.

Some classes have specific rules. For example, water for contact recreation should be clear enough for bathing. Water for drinking should be safe to treat and drink. Water for irrigation shouldn’t harm crops. The natural state water class aims to keep the water quality unchanged. For aesthetic and cultural purposes, the water quality shouldn’t change in ways that affect those values.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM241596.

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3Water quality classes

Note: The standards listed for each class apply after reasonable mixing of any contaminant or water with the receiving water and disregard the effect of any natural perturbations that may affect the water body.

1Class AE Water (being water managed for aquatic ecosystem purposes)

  1. The natural temperature of the water shall not be changed by more than 3° Celsius.

  2. The following shall not be allowed if they have an adverse effect on aquatic life:

  3. any pH change:
    1. any increase in the deposition of matter on the bed of the water body or coastal water:
      1. any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

        1. The concentration of dissolved oxygen shall exceed 80% of saturation concentration.

        2. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

        2Class F Water (being water managed for fishery purposes)

        1. The natural temperature of the water—

        2. shall not be changed by more than 3° Celsius; and
          1. shall not exceed 25° Celsius.

            1. The concentration of dissolved oxygen shall exceed 80% of saturation concentration.

            2. Fish shall not be rendered unsuitable for human consumption by the presence of contaminants.

            3Class FS Water (being water managed for fish spawning purposes)

            1. The natural temperature of the water shall not be changed by more than 3° Celsius. The temperature of the water shall not adversely affect the spawning of the specified fish species during the spawning season.

            2. The concentration of dissolved oxygen shall exceed 80% of saturation concentration.

            3. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

            4Class SG Water (being water managed for the gathering or cultivating of shellfish for human consumption)

            1. The natural temperature of the water shall not be changed by more than 3° Celsius.

            2. The concentration of dissolved oxygen shall exceed 80% of saturation concentration.

            3. Aquatic organisms shall not be rendered unsuitable for human consumption by the presence of contaminants.

            5Class CR Water (being water managed for contact recreation purposes)

            1. The visual clarity of the water shall not be so low as to be unsuitable for bathing.

            2. The water shall not be rendered unsuitable for bathing by the presence of contaminants.

            3. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

            6Class WS Water (being water managed for water supply purposes)

            1. The pH of surface waters shall be within the range 6.0–9.0 units.

            2. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in surface waters shall exceed 5 grams per cubic metre.

            3. The water shall not be rendered unsuitable for treatment (equivalent to coagulation, filtration, and disinfection) for human consumption by the presence of contaminants.

            4. The water shall not be tainted or contaminated so as to make it unpalatable or unsuitable for consumption by humans after treatment (equivalent to coagulation, filtration, and disinfection), or unsuitable for irrigation.

            5. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

            7Class I Water (being water managed for irrigation purposes)

            1. The water shall not be tainted or contaminated so as to make it unsuitable for the irrigation of crops growing or likely to be grown in the area to be irrigated.

            2. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

            8Class IA Water (being water managed for industrial abstraction)

            1. The quality of the water shall not be altered in those characteristics which have a direct bearing upon its suitability for the specified industrial abstraction.

            2. There shall be no undesirable biological growths as a result of any discharge of a contaminant into the water.

            9Class NS Water (being water managed in its natural state)

            1. The natural quality of the water shall not be altered.

            10Class A Water (being water managed for aesthetic purposes)

            1. The quality of the water shall not be altered in those characteristics which have a direct bearing upon the specified aesthetic values.

            11Class C Water (being water managed for cultural purposes)

            1. The quality of the water shall not be altered in those characteristics which have a direct bearing upon the specified cultural or spiritual values.