A Waiareka Valley dairy farm company, one of its directors
and the farm manager have been fined a total of $48,100 for
illegally discharging dairy effluent and applying too much
irrigation water.
In the Oamaru District Court yesterday, between
them they admitted a total of eight charges brought by the
Otago Regional Council arising from two incidents in December
2008.
Crichton Dairy Farms was fined $10,000 for discharging dairy
effluent from an animal waste collection system on to
production land, $13,400 for using water when the use was not
permitted and convicted and discharged for discharging
irrigation water on to land, causing flooding of other
people's land.
On each charge, it was ordered to pay $130 court costs, on
two charges $113 solicitor's fees and on one charge $584.25
in fees and disbursements.
Farm manager Geoffrey Laurie Norris was fined $6000 for the
effluent discharge, $12,000 for using water when the use was
not permitted and convicted and discharged for discharging
water causing flooding.
On each charge, he was ordered to pay $130 court costs and
$113 solicitor's fees.
Company director Keith Wallace Pheasant was fined $6700 for
using water when the use was not permitted and convicted and
discharged for discharging water causing flooding.
On each charge he was ordered to pay court costs of $130 and
solicitor's fees of $113.
The regional council will receive 90% of the fines.
The effluent discharge related to a one-hour breakdown in a
travelling irrigator which spread it on to the farm.
That resulted in effluent ponding on land.
The use of water when not permitted arose when irrigation
water was applied and caused run-off, breaching a condition
of the resource consent held by the water supplier, the North
Otago Irrigation Company.
The charge of discharging water causing flooding related to
the same incident when a neighbour's's crop was flooded,
receiving minor damage, and flooding occurred along roads
near the property.
Judge Jane Borthwick said effects of the effluent discharge
were localised to soil damage and there were unlikely to be
more than minor effects on the environment.
Since the incident, the company had introduced a system
whereby if the irrigator stopped, effluent would be shut off.
However, the judge warned that travelling irrigators were
prone to breaking down and farmers needed to be vigilant.
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