Linkwater is an area located between the Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui. The hills are covered in native bush at higher altitude and production pine forest on the lower slopes. The river flats are predominantly grazed by dairy cattle. The three largest streams in the area are Cullen Creek, Linkwater Stream and Ada Creek. Cullen Creek and Linkwater Stream are both monitored as part of the State of the Environment programme. The results from this monitoring have shown that water quality is either degraded or at risk from degradation.
A total of 33 stream sites were monitored between 2013 and 2017. Ada Creek, the second largest stream in the area, was also included in the study. Monitoring consisted mainly of water quality sampling, but flow measurements and macroinvertebrate sampling were also carried out.
