Wetland » AB Lime

Wetland Restoration

The current wetland has been in place for over 20 years. Originally this area was simply a series of S-bend channels and ponds with no planting. It was designed to purely reduce sediment from runoff.

Although the wetland is still very effective in reducing the sediment load from runoff AB Lime is working to improve the wetlands efficiency to combat potential water quality concerns and to also increase native biodiversity.

To help reduce nutrients and to boost native biodiversity AB Lime has begun to restore the wetland by planting native vegetation. This extra vegetation take up more nutrients and will modifying the channels and ponds to further slow water flow helps improve water quality further.

Water Connections

The water that exits AB Lime flows through various courses of channels and streams before it enters the Winton stream. Water from the Winton stream then flows into the Oreti River and then the new river estuary in Invercargill and eventually out to sea.

At AB Lime we understand if water contamination occurs onsite it does not just affect the immediate waterways but has a much wider effect all the way to the sea.

One major water contaminant that we control onsite is sediment. Too much sediment in water has negative effects on aquatic life such as

Blocking fish gills
Effect fish and macroinvertebrate feeding patterns and growth
Irritates fish skin
Kills fish and macroinvertebrates
Destroys fish and macroinvertebrate habitats by changing the river bottom substrate size i.e. gravel to silt based
Displaces and changes ecological communities

AB Lime knows that one of the main sources of sediment into the water is the blending and dispatch area. A sediment control constructed wetland in place to assist in removing most of the sediment and any nutrients in the water before it exits the AB Lime property. AB Limes resource consent states that they must capture at least 75% of all sediment in water before it exits the property and the wetland helps to achieve this standard.

During rainfall events, sediment loaded runoff from this area is directed and collected into a series of sediment traps and ponds. It then drains into a sediment control S-bend wetland which slows the flow of the runoff allowing the suspended sediments a better chance to settle out on the bottom.

The current wetland has been in place for over 20 years! Originally this area was simply a series of S-bend channels and ponds with no planting here designed to purely reduce sediment from runoff. Although the wetland is still very effective in reducing the sediment load from runoff AB Lime is working to improve the wetlands efficiency to combat other water quality concerns and to also increase native biodiversity.. To help reduce nutrients and to boost native biodiversity AB Lime has begun to restore the wetland by planting native vegetation. This extra vegetation take up more nutrients and will modifying the channels and ponds to further slow water flow help improve water quality further.

Environment

Wetland Restoration