Farmers using water from the Kakanui catchment for irrigation hope they have resolved their differences with the Otago Regional Council and that communication will improve.
They were upset earlier this year at media reports from the Otago Regional Council about alleged breaches of resource consent conditions.
It was alleged they failed to provide data about water volumes taken, and breached low-flow cut-offs.
On Wednesday, they met at the Maheno Tavern with regional council staff and representatives from environmental information technology company Scottech, which was contracted by farmers to provide the council with water-use data.
North Otago Federated Farmers chairman Ross Ewing, also a farmer with irrigation in the catchment, said yesterday farmers were very annoyed with the attitude of the council, particularly when they were unaware of problems.
That came to a head when the council sent out a letter to all farmers, threatening the possibility of prosecution because of alleged breaches.
"That was the first we had heard about the problems," he said.
In the past, farmers through a water users' committee had good communication, and a good relationship, with council staff.
In fact, the regional council was using the Kakanui structure for water use as an example of what could be introduced in other areas of the region.
Mr Ewing said the latest tension arose because of a lack of communication by the council.
Farmers, through their resource consents, were responsible for providing water use data to the regional council.
That was done, in agreement with the council, through Scottech.
However, unknown to farmers, Scottech had updated its technology and the information was being sent in a different format which the regional council could not read.
The council and Scottech, after Wednesday's meeting, were working to resolve that.
Mr Ewing said farmers had also pointed out there had been difficulties with gauge readings on the river from which the committee told farmers to reduce or cut off water takes.
The problem with getting an accurate instantaneous reading was being looked at by the council.
"The message to the council was to tell us if there were problems. If we don't know, we can't do anything about it," Mr Ewing said.
