Tuesday, 12 October 2021 12:55

Decline in Southland waterways stopped, but no improvements

Written by  Jessica Marshall
Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips says Southlanders have done and are continuing to do some great work to improve the environment, but there is still more to do. Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips says Southlanders have done and are continuing to do some great work to improve the environment, but there is still more to do.

An annual update of river water quality on the LAWA (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa) website reveals that Southland has had little change in its water quality over the past decade.

Of 61 sites monitored for E. coli, 10 fall into the A and B band, suggesting they would be suitable for swimming based on the long-term monitoring grade.

Macroinvertebrate monitoring shows the lowest scores come in pasture covered land, with 18 out of 57 sites in the D band and none in the A band.

For ammonia toxicity and nitrogen, none of the Southland sites fall into the D band, and around half are in the A band for both indicators.

Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips says that analysis of the data provides an assessment of the state of rivers and a national picture.

“We can look at the Southland numbers, but can’t use this analysis for a finer scale like a specific catchment or industry,” he told Dairy News.

He adds that the most impacted rivers are those linked to developed farmland and urban areas.

“While we can’t attribute these results to an industry, we know that high levels of containments including nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and E. coli are continuing to have an impact.

“Southlanders have done and are continuing to do some great work to improve the environment, but there is still more to do.”

He says that Environment Southland is working step-by-step through a planned programme to stem the worsening of water quality in the region’s lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters, and restore them to a resilient state.

“As part of this programme, we are supporting improved practice across our river catchments and have established an Integrated Catchment Management area within council that is focused on water quality and working with the community.”

He says the council is drawing together the latest environmental science, regional economic analysis, Ngāi Tahu mātauranga (knowledge) and input from locals to work out how to achieve these goals, and to meet increasing responsibilities set out in legislation and regulations.

“Southland needs to make significant change within a generation and we have a plan to focus first, on what we can achieve in the next ten years.”

More like this

Court decision a win for Southland farmers

Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.

Southland farmers breathe a sigh of relief

Southland Farmers will be breathing a sigh of relief that central Government is stepping in to stop Environment Southland from introducing unworkable and expensive new farming rules.

Clarity needed

OPINION: This month, the government announced a pause to the rollout of the national farm plan system.

Featured

Brendan Attrill scoops national award for sustainable farming

Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

RainWave set to cause a splash

Traditional spreading via tankers or umbilical systems have typically discharged effluent onto splash-plates, resulting in small droplet sizes, which in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter