Dairy effluent offences make up the biggest share of the Otago Regional Council's enforcement processes.
Of the 35 infringements issued in the past 12 months, 14 involved dairy effluent discharges, up from 12 last year. Five cases were serious enough for prosecutions to be taken, down from 11 the previous year.
Overall, authorised legal proceedings dropped from 22 last year to seven this year, and six ended in prosecutions.
The council had issued 35 infringement notices, worth $13,050, and the courts had imposed fines of $113,150 in the past 12 months. The Otago Regional Council is awarded 90% of the fines.
Council resource management director Selva Selvarajah said prosecutions for dairy effluent offences had fluctuated in the past few years, from 10 in 2011-12, five the year before and 11 in 2009-10.
''It's hard to say if we are in a holding pattern or declining.''
Outdoor burning offences were the next biggest component of proceedings. The 10 fines imposed for discharging contaminants to air were double that of last year.
It had been an issue for many years, especially in rural areas next to urban areas, he said.
After complaints regarding outdoor burning at golf clubs, all clubs in the region were contacted and urged to seek other ways of dealing with their green waste, he said.
Several infringement notices had been served on golf clubs.
