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Summary
Omaru Stream is a tributary of the Waitotara River and flows for some of its length through the forest clad Whanganui National Park and Waitotara Conservation Area.
Concern over the potential impact of vegetation clearance in the headwaters of the Omaru Stream resulted in the Department of Conservation initiating a pre-impact sampling of algae, macroinvertebrates and deposited fine sediment. This was performed at a site downstream of the proposed impact location.
This sampling gives an idea of the biota of the Omaru Stream at this point prior to any upstream sediment input. Additionally, it gives a snapshot of the aquatic biota at a site that has probably not been sampled before and provides a baseline in case the invasive algae Didymosphenia geminata ever invades the catchment.