Ducks still swimming in the Avon River, where most of the surrounding land is badly damaged.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Earthquake damage in central Christchurch after a 6.3 earthquake. Avon River".
The Ōtakaro-Avon and Ōpāwaho-Heathcote in Christchurch are some of the most polluted in the region. While the Avon has received a lot of attention since the Canterbury Earthquakes with $100 million going into a new promenade and cleaning up its water quality, it's a different story for the Heathcote River where raw sewage and industrial chemicals are still regularly found. Niva Chittock reports.
A PDF copy of pages 54-55 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'River of Flowers - Te Waitohi Maumahara'. Page 54 photographs: Healthy Chch. Page 55 photograph: Mike Moss.
A photograph of Robin Duff standing on the porch of his house at 386 Oxford Terrace. There is a sign in the window to his left depicting a bulldozer with a line through it. The photographer comments, "Avon Loop resident Donna Allfrey made this sign for Duff".
A photograph of Robin Duff standing on the porch of his house at 386 Oxford Terrace. There is a sign in the window to his left depicting a bulldozer with a line through it. The photographer comments, "Avon Loop resident Donna Allfrey made this sign for Duff".
A photograph of rhubarb growing in the garden of the Locke family's property at 392 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The rhubarb was planted by Elsie Locke and was famous in the Avon Loop. It survived despite being untended and I took some and planted it in my own garden".
The damaged Snell Place footbridge. A crack is visible at the apex of the span. The photographer comments, "Before the Christchurch earthquakes this bridge used to be just just 9 feet at high tide above the River Avon. Now with the ends pushed together it has probably moved up another 9 feet".
A photograph of Robin Duff standing on the porch of his house at 386 Oxford Terrace. There is a sign in the window to his left depicting a bulldozer with a line through it. The photographer comments, "Avon Loop resident Donna Allfrey made this sign for Duff".
A couple of Christchurch men are collecting letterboxes from the city's red-zoned suburbs, to create sculptures to tell the stories of the homes which have been demolished since the February 2011 earthquake. One of the men is Evan Smith - who co-chairs a group called the Avon-Otakaro Network. It's working toward creating a riverside park along the Avon, where the houses once stood.
Workers preparing materials for a new bridge over the Avon from University Drive to the Recreation Centre.
Workers preparing materials for a new bridge over the Avon from University Drive to the Recreation Centre.
A view over the Avon River looking towards the opposite bank, which has slumped towards the river.
Workers preparing materials for a new bridge over the Avon from University Drive to the Recreation Centre.
A PDF copy of pages 42-43 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Oxford Terrace Temporary Streetscape and Interpretation'. Photo: Tim Church. With permission: Christchurch City Council.
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 390 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 372 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 396 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of the Locke family's property at 392 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 398 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 422 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
The entrance to the West Avon building on Montreal Street. The photographer comments, "This very wonderful Art Deco heritage building in Christchurch had residents living in it until another visit from the building engineers re-re-checking for earthquake damage. Now it is fenced off and on the list for possible demolition".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 424 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath outside Robin Duff's property at 386 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 388 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
The footpath on Cambridge Terrace and areas bordering the Avon River have been badly damaged following the earthquakes.
The footpath on Cambridge Terrace and areas bordering the Avon River have been badly damaged following the earthquakes.
The Avon and Heathcote Rivers, located in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, are lowland spring-fed rivers linked with the Christchurch Groundwater System. At present, the flow paths and recharge sources to the Christchurch Groundwater System are not fully understood. Study of both the Avon and Heathcote Rivers can provide greater insight into this system. In addition, during the period 2010-2012, Christchurch has experienced large amounts of seismic activity, including a devastating Mw 6.2 aftershock on February 22nd, 2011, which caused widespread damage and loss of life. Associated with these earthquakes was the release of large amounts of water through liquefaction and temporary springs throughout the city. This provided a unique opportunity to study groundwater surface water interactions following a large scale seismic event. Presented herein is the first major geochemical study on the Avon and Heathcote Rivers and the hydrological impact of the February 22, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake. The Avon, Heathcote, and Waimakariri Rivers were sampled in quarterly periods starting in July 2011 and analyzed for stable Isotopes δ¹⁸O, δD, and δ¹³C and major anion composition. In addition, post -earthquake samples were collected over the days immediately following the February 22, 2011 earthquake and analyzed for stable isotopes δ¹⁸O and δD and major anion composition. A variety of analytical methods were used identify the source of the waters in the Avon-Heathcote System and evaluate the effectiveness of stable isotopes as geochemical tracers in the Christchurch Groundwater System. The results of this thesis found that the waters from the Avon and Heathcote Rivers are geochemically the same, originating from groundwater, and exhibit a strong tidal influence within 5km of the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. The surface waters released following the February 22nd, 2011 earthquake were indistinguishable from quarterly samples taken from the Avon and Heathcote Rivers when comparing stable isotopic composition. The anion data suggests the waters released following the February 22nd, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake were sourced primarily from shallow groundwater, and also suggests a presence of urban sewage at some sites. Attempts to estimate recharge sources for the Avon-Heathcote Rivers using published models for the Christchurch Groundwater System yielded results that were not consistent between models. In evaluating the use of geochemical constituents as tracers in the Christchurch Groundwater System, no one isotope could provide a clear resolution, but when used in conjunction, δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, and DIC, seem to be the most effective tracers. Sample sizes for δ¹³C were too small for a robust evaluation. Variability on the Waimakariri River appears to be greater than previously estimated, which could have significant impacts on geochemical models for the Christchurch Groundwater System. This research demonstrates the value of using multiple geochemical constituents to enrich our understanding of the groundwater surfaces-water interactions and the Christchurch Groundwater System as a whole.
A view over the Avon River towards Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn, which has fencing and road cones in front.
A warning sign about contaminated water is nailed to a tree next to the Avon River on River Road.