More than 130 people have attended a series of 12 ``drop-in'' sessions run by the Otago Regional Council throughout much of Otago over proposed water plan change 1D since the start of last week.
The first phase of initial public consultation ended with two sessions at the Dunedin City Library yesterday.
Council staff have explained the proposed change aims to clarify aspects of the water plan, particularly involving residual flows in tributaries.
A residual flow was the ``quantity of water that must be left in the river at the point of take'', a council information sheet explains.
Several councillors said at a recent council meeting some farmers were confused and concerned about aspects of the proposed changes.
About 10 members of the public, including farmers, attended yesterday's early session, and two farmers, who asked not to give their names, voiced anxiety in interviews about the mooted change.
One man, a Maniototo farmer, said he was already working towards meeting the overall water plan requirements and the proposed further change was an unwanted complication.
Further rounds of public consultation are planned for April and June, with the plan change notified for submissions mid-year, followed by a formal hearing late this year.
