Most farms obeying water rules

The majority of Otago dairy farms are compliant with the area's water plan rules, the latest Otago Regional Council aerial inspection shows.

Director of resource management Dr Selva Selvarajah was pleased the inspection showed farmers were keeping winter feed pads and feeding areas clear of waterways, which helped avoid water contamination.

Last season, 25 prosecutions were taken which related to the discharge of effluent into waterways.

He said those non-compliant properties were "all faultless" this time.

Problem areas from last year, in the wetter areas of south and west Otago, also brought about no issues.

"Green feed paddocks were either well away from waterways, or there was clear evidence of a riparian strip or fencing keeping stock out of waterways."

However, while feed pads were improving, effluent ponds were still a concern for the council.

"We are concerned about the number of full effluent ponds we observed," Dr Selvarajah said.

He believed most farms should have at least three months of effluent storage capacity so they were not under pressure to empty them on to already saturated soil.

A "close eye" would be kept on farms with full ponds, which put waterways at risk.

"We've made it quite clear to dairy farm owners and managers that we will prosecute if they infringe the Otago water plan effluent disposal rules."