Didymo or rock snot, nitrates, stock in streams, effluent, dirty dairying…over the past decade water quality and the health of our streams, lakes and rivers has become a major deal for many New Zealanders. And as the recent election campaign showed, it’s become a political issue that wins and loses votes too.

So how can you tell if the water quality of your local stream or river is improving or not?

Grant Muir is a farmer and fisherman living in the Wairarapa and saw first hand the impact that poor water quality had on his local stream. So he developed a solar-powered, portable water tester that measures the health of your H2O and how it is changes over time. 

It’s way cheaper- about one-tenth of the cost- of other water testing devices on the market. And as these more expensive testers only take a snapshot at the time they are in the water, he’s hoping that his RiverWatch device lets more communities get involved in policing the state of their local waterway.