Concern in the farming community about proposed changes to water-quality rules in Otago could mean a "rocky road" ahead for the Otago Regional Council, Cr Doug Brown said at a policy and submissions committee meeting this week.
Despite these concerns the council was pushing ahead, even toughening up the levels of contaminants allowed into groundwater. The new rules, called Proposed Plan Change 6A (water quality), will come into effect when notified on March 31, but the public have an opportunity to make submissions until May.
Cr Brown said while he supported the plan change, there was "obviously" a lot of concern about it, particularly in the farming community.
"People are having a hard time getting their heads around it; they have doubts about achieving the outcomes, to measure the wastestreams in the timeframes and about not being able to continue farming as they do today."
The plan change was expected to reduce the adverse effects of land use on water quality, without imposing unnecessary cost on land holders, and help ensure Otago achieved good quality water throughout the whole region, before 2020.
To do this, discharges that would have an adverse effect on receiving water bodies, that come from disturbed land or from animal waste systems or silage storage, were prohibited, but discharges that met specified limits for nitrogen, phosphorous, ecoli and sediment were permitted.
Landowners have five to seven years to meet the new rules.
The council was proposing an amendment to the plan change already consulted on, to reduce the nitrogen leaching limit from 40kg per hectare per year to 30kg.
Environmental information and science director John Threlfall said figures from modelling and data from fertiliser research, showed dairy farms already met the 40kg limit so the council "felt too generous" as the aim was to prevent further pollution of groundwater in Otago.
Mr McRae said the policy also signalled "loud and clear" that "mixing zones" as a legitimate way to get rid of waste were not anticipated to be part of waste management systems in the future.
Cr David Shepherd said he was concerned about amendments suggesting boarder dyke irrigation, popular in the Maniototo and lower Waitaki, would become untenable.
"I hope there will be some robust arguments on the issue [through submissions]."
Cr Gretchen Robertson said what the council was looking for in some areas was change, and that would mean a change in practices.
"In groundwater areas there will be big ramifications. People are going to have to invest, and that is why there is a lead-in time of five to seven years."
Chairman Stephen Woodhead said feedback from regional leaders and landholders already consulted was that they accepted the philosophy underpinning the policy, but wanted to know "what it means for me and how I can achieve it".
It was important to remember regional councils nationwide were under a lot of pressure to "pull their socks up" around water quality, he said.
"In the long term we want to protect our waterways for future generations."
Cr Bryan Scott said as the plan change had immediate legal effect, the decision to notify had "some teeth".
"I believe yes, it will be a challenge and yes, a rocky road, but the underlying philosophy is sound."
Submissions close on the new policy on May 2 and hearings were expected to be held in July-August.
