Monitored sites in the Water of Leith and Lindsay's Creek catchment
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Water of Leith and Lindsay's Creek
The Water of Leith has a catchment area of 42.1 km2 and
flows into Otago Harbour, Dunedin. It has a course of slightly over 11.6 km. There are numerous tributary streams to the Water of Leith,
including West Branch, Morrison’s, Cedar, Nichol’s and Ross Creeks on the right bank and Cargill, Pine Hill and Lindsay’s Creeks on the left bank.
Lindsay’s Creek is the principal tributary and has a catchment area of 12.2km2 and has a course of about 6.8km to its junction with the Water of Leith at the Botanic Gardens, roughly 2km upstream from Otago Harbour.
The upper Water of Leith receives over 1000mm rainfall as an annual average, in Dunedin the average annual rainfall is 650mm. In the upper catchments indigenous hardwoods, harvested forest, manuka, kanuka, grassland and pine forest dominate, while in the lower catchment the bottom and side slopes of the valley are urban, including parks and open spaces, and a large surface mine.
Both the Water of Leith and Lindsay’s Creek are very liable, from the character of their catchment areas, to sudden extreme floods. As well as being a source of drinking water for Dunedin, the Water of Leith is a popular trout and salmon fishery. It also has a number of riverbank walkways which are well used by the residents of Dunedin.
Otago Regional Council
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