Nitrate concentrations in the groundwater around Lake Rotorua

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Abstract
Bores, wells, and springs from the area around Lake Rotorua, New Zealand, were sampled in May 1974 and analysed for nitrate. Of a total of 102 samplings, the World Health Organisation limit for nitrogen in potable water (10.0 mg.I −1) was exceeded by only one sample (23mg.I −1) from a pig farm. Most samples were found to have nitrate levels in the range 0.1–5.0 mg.I −1. An inverse relationship between nitrate concentration and distance from the shore of the lake was found for the northwestern section of the lake's catchment. Levels of nitrate‐nitrogen increased from 0.5 mg.I −1 at 8.1–10.0 km from the lake's shore to 2.0 mg.I −1 at 0.1–2.0 km from the lake's shore. It is concluded that current farming practices around Lake Rotorua are contributing to the levels of nitrate in the local groundwater. The inflow of groundwater nitrate may be high enough to contribute to the nutrient budget of the lake.

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