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Story: Water quality

Waipā and Waikato rivers meet

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Waipā and Waikato rivers meet

The Waipā River (right) joins the Waikato River at Ngāruawāhia, laden with sediment after record rainfall in July 1998. The amount of soil erosion in a catchment is reflected in the sediment content of the river water. Sediment may come from hill slopes or from eroding banks.

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J Greenwood Photography

by John Greenwood

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How to cite this page

Mike Scarsbrook and Kit Rutherford, Water quality – Water quality in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/15516/waipa-and-waikato-rivers-meet (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mike Scarsbrook and Kit Rutherford, published 1 March 2009, updated 18 July 2016.