The declining water quality in North Otago rivers will come under scrutiny at an Otago Regional Council forum in Oamaru later this month.
The "Good Water, Good Farming" forum on June 29 will give an opportunity for individuals and groups who have recently criticised declining water standards in rivers and streams to voice their opinions.
Some have already done that to the Waitaki District Council in submissions on the 2010-11 draft annual plan.
They called on the Waitaki council to do more, particularly in the way it managed land use in the district, to preserve the quality of surface water.
In particular, they were critical of the conversion of land to dairying and the effect it was having on the Kakanui River and its tributaries.
However, the Waitaki council said water quality was an issue dealt with by the regional council and passed submissions on to it.
Some Waitaki councillors also suggested the regional council set up a meeting in Oamaru on water quality.
The Oamaru forum, between 1pm and 5.30pm, planned by the regional council, follows up on last month's event at Cromwell.
Regional council chairman Stephen Cairns said water quality issues had never been more prominent, with a central government land and water forum and water quality monitoring trends showing deterioration in some Otago catchments.
"The ORC is implementing a new effects-based approach for managing water quality and setting standards in Otago lakes, rivers and streams. This involves the application of instruments farmers and other land users can employ to measure their farm water contaminant outputs," he said.
The goal was to ensure water quality was managed appropriately in every Otago catchment by enabling farmers to use innovative measures to self-manage run-off, drainage and leaching.
"These forums are an important opportunity for rural water users to discuss the proposed policies and their likely impacts with councillors and staff," he said.
