Quick Dips

Soil Study

Heavy farm and market garden use of soils in Auckland and Waikato is causing major soil erosion problems, but a regional council study in conjunction with Landcare Research NZ Ltd hopes to provide some answers.

The year-long study has produced mixed results to date. Heavy rainfall was considered a major cause of erosion, which led to blocked drains and smothered streams. However, bad weather does not correlate 100% with the periods of greatest erosion.

"It has been found that there is almost ten times more soil lost in spring than in autumn, even when rainfall is the same," notes Environmental Management Committee Chairman Doug Cholmondeley-Smith. "This seems to be related to land use, so we will need to find out more about different cropping regimes during the various times of the year."

The study is to continue to another year, with the aim of developing a regional perspective of the effects different types of land use have on erosion and how to prevent erosion in the future.