Environment Canterbury responds to reports on water quality

Environment Canterbury responds to PCE reports on water quality

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reports released on June 19 are a useful contribution to the national discussion around freshwater in New Zealand, said David Caygill, Environment Canterbury’s Commissioner with particular responsibility for water.

“While the first report – Managing Water Quality – is addressed more at the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater a number of the recommendations align with what’s already happening in Canterbury.

“As the report acknowledges, Environment Canterbury and a number of other regional councils were already working on protecting at risk water bodies and catchments when the NPS was put in place.

“In Canterbury this work started in 2012 when the Land and Water Regional Plan was introduced, which for the first time set limits on nutrients including the discharge of nitrates.

“But even before then the Canterbury Water Management Strategy – which was agreed in 2009 – included setting and managing catchment nutrient limits as one of the 10 target areas.

“We are now strengthening how we set and manage nutrient limits – based on farmer good management practices and the needs of particular catchments.”

The second report from the PCE – Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution – updates projections from a 2013 report but does not contain recommendations. The most recent information in the land use report is from 2011 and 2012.

“This report reinforces the point that we will have a problem with land use and water quality if we don’t take action. In Canterbury, however, we now have regional nutrient limits and 10 local zone committees working on local solutions to freshwater management issues.”

In the first report – Managing water quality – recommendation No.4 is that: regional councils prioritise the setting of objectives and limits for water bodies and catchments…and to set interim measures to prevent degradation in the meantime.

“We have done exactly that. Our approach is all about prioritisation: the Land and Water Regional Plan clearly defines the areas where water quality is at most risk (“nutrient red zones”).”

There is also a lot of ‘non-regulatory’ work underway – supported by zone committees, iwi and local communities – such as ecosystem restoration and biodiversity enhancement which also contributes to improving freshwater quality and is part of managing to nutrient limits.

The important of freshwater is highlighted in Environment Canterbury’s Long Term Plan which budgets more than $27 million in the coming financial year to implement the Canterbury Water Management Strategy – the money is being raised from a CWMS rate which applies across Canterbury.

“In our Long Term Plan we have also proposed to spend an additional $38 million over the next 10 years on improved freshwater management,” said David Caygill.

The proposed Land and Water Regional Plan and variations

Variation 1 to the Land and Water Regional Plan (Selwyn Waihora) reflects several years of community collaboration led by the local water management zone committee to find acceptable and enduring local solutions.

It envisages farmers moving quickly to ‘good management practice’, and then an ongoing programme requiring farmers to adopt ‘best management practice’ to improve water quality in Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

Variation 2 Hinds Plains has been notified and hearings started this month.

Variation 3 Lower Waitaki-South Coastal Canterbury has been notified – public hearings are scheduled in late 2015.

The variation for the upper and other lower Waitaki catchments (Hakataramea and surrounds) is also expected to be notified later this year.

To view the reports:

http://www.pce.parliament.nz/publications/all-publications/

For more information:

Environment Canterbury media phone 027 221-5259

ENDS

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