In a statement, the ORC said it was evident farmers and land users were proactively undertaking the best practice of crop management, going by a recent flyover of the area.
ORC environmental monitoring and operations director Scott MacLean was pleased with the results of the flyover which showed the number of sites requiring a follow-up decreased by more than 70% from last year. It dropped from 19 sites last year to five.
Mr MacLean said flyovers were necessary for ORC to identify potential risk areas and where it may need to investigate further.
''If [winter cropping] isn't managed well it can cause significantly higher nutrient loss than pasture grazing,'' he said.
Farmers were clearly taking measures to mitigate the negative effects of winter cropping which often led to the leaching of waterways.
It could result in E.coli and other contaminants entering fresh water which negatively impacted the health of humans, animals and aquatic flora and fauna.
Mr MacLean said low-lying areas, such as gullies and swales, could also become highways for nitrogen runoff.
The positive results from the flyover showed the South Otago land users' ''stewardship'' of the land and environment.
The Otago Water Plan set out to maintain good water quality and improve it where required.
