It is not the Otago Regional Council's role to protect more intensive farming systems, council chief executive Peter Bodeker says.
Councillors at a meeting in Dunedin yesterday discussed a report on the lack of rainfall in recent months and its impact on Otago rivers.
Cr Gerry Eckhoff said the situation highlighted the importance of water storage, such as the Loganburn Dam, in times of drought and he believed local government needed to look at new ways to find finance for important projects such as dams.
Mr Bodeker said a farmer had recently told him he was going to build extra water storage as a result of this dry period.
''It won't be sitting there for that one-in-15-year drought. He will intensify his farming system to a more intensive farming system.''
That was highlighted by the concerns about this dry period coming mainly from intensive dairy farmers, not sheep or beef farmers.
People needed to remember the council's role was to protect a natural system.
''It's not our role to protect more intensive farming systems.''
The dry weather had raised questions about the council's processes and procedures in future events, Mr Bodeker said.
''In catchments such as the Taieri ... what is the ORC's role in the management of those major catchments, if any?''
Cr David Shepherd said while he could not deny it had been an incredibly bad year, there were positive aspects to the land use change since the last drought in 1999.
''There are 10,000ha extra irrigated in North Otago, there is a lot more irrigation in the upper Clutha and in North Otago farmers under NOIC [irrigation company] are doing well ... ''
Cr Doug Brown said processes to deal with the dry weather had worked well in North Otago because many of them had been in place for 10 years.
''The rules and processes are very clear.''
Chairman Stephen Woodhead said the experience gained in the past few months highlighted the changes needed by 2021, when mining permits ended and plan 1C around water allocation took effect.
The council withdrew the water shortage direction affecting four farmers above Waipiata on the Taieri River yesterday.
Those farmers now had limited use of available water as long as they managed it in such a way that the river remained above the minimum flow, Mr Bodeker said.
