ABSTRACT
In October 1991, New Zealand introduced the Resource Management Act (RMA). This legislation represents a comprehensive and integrated approach to “promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources.” Under the RMA the “effect” of an activity is paramount in considering its approval. The preparation of the Tarawera River Regional Plan was initiated because the Tarawera River receives discharges from two pulp and paper mills and a geothermal bore field. A comprehensive monitoring program was designed to assess the impact of the discharges. This included detailed investigations of ecology, toxicity and chemistry within the river and marine environment. While the instream concentrations of pulp mill contaminants are relatively low, chronic impacts on biota consistent with bleached kraft mill effluent exposure are present. Ecological surveys have revealed significant impacts on macroinvertebrate and aquatic plant communities. Large inputs of color degrade the river visually while high effluent oxygen demand occasionally reduces dissolved oxygen concentrations to critical levels. Despite concerns with toxicity, it is the authors’ view that the dissolved oxygen and color are the most significant long-term issues facing the management of the river.
