Media Release

21/11/2013

Report Reinforces Council’s Top Priority – Water Quality

A report released today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reinforces Environment Southland’s position on water quality as its top priority.

The report, ‘Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution’ uses modeling to predict how changes in land use will affect the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in our waterways.

Environment Southland Chairman Ali Timms said the Council was well aware of the link between changes in land use and levels of nutrients. She said the report was a useful addition to all the information being pulled together and the work being done around water quality. “Improving water quality is the Council’s top priority and has been for some time. We’ve been very clear about that,” she said.

Environment Southland’s ‘Water and Land 2020 & Beyond’ project addresses not only the Government’s National Policy Statement of Freshwater (NPS), but also the Regional Water Plan for Southland, which takes into account the values and aspirations of Southlanders.

‘Water and Land 2020 & Beyond’ is wide-ranging. Its initial focus has been on the implementation of good management practices such as nutrient management, riparian planting and stock exclusion. Interim measures are also currently being developed to ‘hold the line’ on any further deterioration of water quality. These measures are intended as a stepping stone to the limit setting process required under the NPS, which will address the nutrient levels for each catchment.

Additionally, Council has implemented an interim rule requiring any new dairy conversion to obtain a resource consent.

Environment Southland will continue to work with communities, groups, organisations and agencies to maintain and improve water quality.

ENDS

For more information about ‘Water and Land 2020 & Beyond’:
www.es.govt.nz/environment/water-and-land-2020-and-beyond

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