ORC

A downturn in the number of resource consent applications being lodged with the Otago Regional Council is a reflection of the state of the Otago economy, council resource management director Selva Selvarajah says.

No applications to undertake hydraulic fracking have been received by the Otago Regional Council, but its policy on whether an application is public or non-notified will be done case by case.

The Otago Regional Council received 66 submissions on its plan to invest $3.5 million in Tarras Water Ltd's irrigation scheme.

The Otago Regional Council will seek to keep important freshwater monitoring sites going if Niwa discontinues them. Niwa had reviewed its monitoring operations and was making changes to enable its ''expertise and capabilities'' to be used to the country's ''best advantage'', Niwa general manager strategy Dr Bryce Cooper said.

A study has been commissioned to find a long-term solution to the problem of Hoopers Inlet blocking.

Requiring councils to perform in a way that is ''most cost-effective for households and businesses'' could see local bodies challenged in court for not taking the cheapest option, the Otago Regional Council says.

The Otago Regional Council's new chief executive has pronounced the local body to be in ''good heart''.

Otago landowners along floodways will soon be alerted to the risk of flooding through the Twitter alerts service.

Otago Regional Council's approach to water quality and allocation has been validated by the latest Land and Water Forum report, chairman Stephen Woodhead says.

Promoting better certainty of supply and use of the Clutha and Lindis Rivers' water resources are two reasons the Otago Regional Council is considering investing in the Tarras irrigation project.