It was unusual in duration but otherwise the rain event which caused flooding on the Taieri in May was unremarkable, consultant hydrologist Dave Stewart says.
The Otago Regional Council does not think dam owners are capable of managing safety under a more relaxed regulatory regime.
Otago was cold, sunny and dry last month, with Dunedin, Balclutha, Cromwell and Queenstown reaching records for low temperatures or high sunshine hours, or both.
Purakaunui landowners have again called for Potato Point to remain in its natural state, opposing a proposal to build a home on the point.
Throwing a piece of paper or cardboard into a green bin could start the habit of a lifetime.
Visitors to Sandfly Bay on Otago Peninsula are still encroaching on the shy yellow-eyed penguin's habitat, leaving researchers to call for better signs at the popular beach.
Dirty-looking rivers in Otago do not bode well for the start of the whitebaiting season tomorrow.
Eight cases of the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, have been confirmed in Otago and Southland so far this winter.
A proposed Otago Regional Council contribution to a vision for Otago's public transport for the next 30 years lacks a "clear vision" and acknowledgment of the importance of a large tertiary campus in Dunedin, councillors say.
It is disappointing the Otago Regional Council has not met its own deadlines for some projects, but that is the nature of the business, Cr Stephen Woodhead says.
Six rescue trips in one day covering the equivalent distance of a flight to Australia, is the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust's busiest day in its 11-year history.
Dunedin Archives New Zealand and National Library staff should notice little change in their day-to-day work once merged with the Internal Affairs Department, the man who will oversee the integration says.
It will be at least another 18 months before any noticeable improvements in air quality can be measured in towns like Alexandra, Otago Regional Council environmental information and science director John Threlfall says.
"Substantially" more water could be available for irrigation in the Tarras-Bendigo area than first thought, an Otago Regional Council study shows.
Kate Linterman does not want to be "that girl with Crohn's" and knows better than anyone how embarrassing talking about toilet issues is.
Those involved in the water-metering industry are concerned at the lack of quality control around the installation of equipment in some areas.
The restoration of windows and doors in the historic accommodation block on Quarantine Island has been made possible by a donation of $56,000 from the Otago Community Trust.
It could be up to six years before new ways of killing possums become a practical reality, scientists say.
Farmers, landowners, local authorities and industries are being warned to get their applications for resource consent renewals in well before they expire, or risk major consequences under the new Resource Management Act changes.
A record number of people are reporting pollution incidents to the Otago Regional Council, as "perceived environmental harm" becomes less acceptable, council environmental services manager Martin King says.