Data for more than 350 water sites around Otago is now available on the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) online environmental data portal. 

The new portal has the latest environmental data, such as water levels, rainfall, flow, temperature and quality, ORC environmental monitoring manager Eve Bruhns said.

In some cases it has up to 70 years of data, offering “much more information” than the previous website, she said.

A solar-powered rain gauge being installed by the ORC in September. PHOTO: ORC

With more quality data, people will be able to make better decisions on their activities, including short term recreational river use, boating, fishing, or tramping during low flow events.

It also provides significantly more data for medium to long term planning, like those the rural sector needs for its operations, Eve said.

A look at the environmental data portal. IMAGE: ORC

“There is the safety element for communities too around monitoring, when high rainfall is threatening parts of Otago,” she said.

The portal allows users to view and interact with a large number of maps and tables, access all available historical data and also download quality approved data so it can be viewed offline.

The easy-to-navigate, map-based format also provides access to a range of different parameters for measuring water quantity and quality within Otago.

Access the ORC’s new environmental data portal here.