Why did Drinkable Rivers choose to start with the headwaters at the Avon River?
As our founder, Michael, puts it: “it’s time for us city folks to stop throwing rocks at the country folks and start looking in our own back yard”. The Avon River/Ōtākaro is Michael’s river and, given that the problems upstream inevitably end up downstream, he realised that the springs at Avonhead were the logical place to start. He also recognised that with a vision as big as this, it’s important to start really small, learn as much as possible, and then apply that knowledge to the next section, then the next, then the next.
What is an Oracle and what is is measuring?
Oracle 1 was built by Vikram Kumar, a founding member of Drinkable Rivers and Founder of Kotahi Net. It is a prototype sensor which operates on solar power and sends back hourly real-time data about contaminants in the river via Wifi. At the time of its grounding in July 2019, Oracle 1 began measuring pH, nitrates, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and oxygen reduction potential. There are additional contaminants such as E Coli which must be tested manually so we've been examining those readings as well.
There is plenty more work to do yet and we are now in discussions about how best to add some of the other known contaminants such as Copper and Zinc into our dataset. Check out the real-time data here.
what if i live next to the river and I don’t want to be involved with drinkable rivers?
Drinkable Rivers is a community-led movement and it is our hope that everyone living in the “Riverhoods” along our riverbanks, as the front line support for our waterways, will want to be involved and do their part to help. We will provide support, guidance, resources and, where possible, labour to help but WE WON’T PRESSURE RESIDENTS to complete riparian planting on their private properties or ask anyone who is unwilling to become a kaitiaki for their river.
how can i get an oracle sensor for a section of my river?
Oracle 1 was sponsored by Drinkable Rivers founding members, Michael and Samantha Mayell and Anake Goodall. We hope to get more Oracles sited in the Avon River/Ōtākaro and other Canterbury rivers very soon, but these specialised devices are costly to build, install, and maintain. We are fundraising currently for corporate sponsors to sponsor additional Oracles. If you or someone you know would be interested in talking to us about this, we’d love to hear from them. Further details on sponsorship can be found here.
How can I/my group/my school get involved?
If you have an event coming up or your group is doing some great work, please let us know at yes@drinkablerivers.nz so we can help you promote it. Moving forward, we will be looking for kaitiaki to look after specific river sections and if your group would like to get involved, please get in touch and let us know where you are.
If you want to get involved on an individual level, please head over to our volunteer page and tell us a bit more about yourself, and be sure to check out our list of 5 things you can do today to help your river. Please also consider donating to Drinkable Rivers. As a not-for-profit fueled by volunteers, we can only do as much good work as we have the funds to support; any amount is gratefully accepted.