Welcome to the September 2020 edition of On-Stream
Blossom, daffodils and lambs! Spring has definitely arrived and we hope you are beginning to enjoy the longer daylight hours. This edition covers what you need to know about new national and regional water rules, and more. As always, there's heaps going on, so if you have any questions about any of the new rules, please get in touch with us on 0800 474 082 or email us.
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Some new national rules now in place
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You may already know that new national rules (called the Essential Freshwater package) to restore and protect New Zealand’s waterways came into effect on 3 September 2020. If you are a farmer, these might affect you.
This includes new rules on:
• intensive farming
• feedlots
• keeping stock out of waterways
• protecting wetlands and streams
• allowing fish passage in waterways
• reclamation of rivers
Find out more at www.orc.govt.nz/NewWaterRules. We're adding any new information to this webpage as and when it comes in.
Please get in touch with us by email or by calling 0800 747 082 if you have any queries – we are here to help.
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Under the new Essential Freshwater rules, if you have a resource consent to take 5 litres or more of water per second (for irrigation, for example) you will need to measure the water you take every 15 minutes and report this electronically to ORC on a daily basis. This is achieved using a telemetry system.
The introduction of this requirement is being staggered. You must comply within:
- Two years for consents to take 20 litres per second or more
- Four years for consents to take between 10 and less than 20 litres per second
- Six years for consents to take between 5 and less than 10 litres per second
Please check your resource consent to see which timeframe applies to you. Please also note that your resource consent conditions may require telemetry before the dates outlined above. If you have any questions, please call us on 0800 474 082 or email us.
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Coming up soon: Freshwater Visions
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The Essential Freshwater package includes a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2020) (NPS-FM). This policy statement sets direction for how the government wants New Zealand waterways to be cared for and managed. One of the new requirements of the NPS-FM is that all regional councils work with tangata whenua and communities to develop long-term freshwater visions for each Freshwater Management Unit (FMU) or catchment. In Otago, we have five FMUs, one of which (the Clutha/Mata-Au FMU) is further divided into five rohe (areas) due to size. Read more about Otago's FMUs and rohe (and find out which one you live in) here. Freshwater visions need to be included in the new Regional Policy Statement (RPS) we are currently developing, which will set the environmental management direction for our region. We were originally working to a timeframe to have the new RPS notified in November this year. However, the Minister for the Environment has given us an extension of time to June 2021, enabling us to work with tangata whenua and communities to develop freshwater visions for Otago's FMUs and rohes. In October and November, we'll be inviting you to chat with us face-to-face or to go online to let us know what you'd like to see for your waterways in the future. Watch this space for more details in the next edition of On-Stream! |
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Update on proposed new Otago rules to protect water quality
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Earlier this year, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) notified three ORC plan changes (the Water Permits Plan Change to the Water Plan, and the Water Quality Plan Changes to the Water Plan and the Waste Plan – also known as 'Omnibus') after they were “called in” by the Minister for the Environment. They were "called in" to speed up the process of getting these “quick fix” changes in place to align ORC’s plans with new national requirements. The EPA notified the plan changes on 6 July 2020 and submissions closed on 17 August.
Since then, the EPA have collated and summarised the submissions made to the three proposed plan changes, and these can be viewed here.
Interested parties can now lodge a further submission up until 5pm on 2 October 2020 here, either supporting or opposing someone else’s submission.
If you indicated in your submission that you wish to speak at the Environment Court hearings, you will be contacted directly. The hearings are likely to take place late in 2020 or early 2021.
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News from the Rural Liaison Team
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Spring has sprung and everyone will be busy with calving and lambing and the possibilities that the longer days bring.
If you're on a dairy farm in Otago, now is a good time to confirm what your animal waste storage (effluent) requirements are for your operation, and how much you have currently. It will be important to have this information to hand with ORC's Water Quality Plan Changes (Plan Change 8 to the Water Plan and Plan Change 1 to the Waste Plan) on the horizon. A good place to start is by running the Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator - you can find out what this involves here. If you would like more information about pond drop tests, RD Agritech are holding a field day at Moneymore, Milton on 8 October. Find out more information and register here.
It's also time to be planning and getting ready for next year's winter grazing. The Winter Grazing Action Group has published some expectations for winter grazing in the short term (1-2 years) and, while this has a particular focus on animal welfare, there are some environmental considerations too. Check out the information here.
AgResearch has shown that sediment run-off can be significantly reduced by keeping critical source areas in grass. By now you should have identified the critical source areas in paddocks that will be going into forage feed crops for winter 2021. These areas should remain in pasture to minimise sediment run-off during wintering. They could then be grazed at a later date when conditions and weather allow and there is minimal risk.
Hot tip: if you're spraying before sowing your crop, mark out your critical source areas so the spraying contractor can ensure the correct critical source area is protected.
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Soil your undies to check your soil health!
This citizen science project is a collaboration between NOSLaM, Enviroschools, Beef + Lamb NZ, Ag Research, the University of Otago and six schools in the North Otago area. The school students will learn about how soil is formed, as well as burying a pair of (clean) undies for a few months at home or school to measure how degraded they have got – the more degraded the healthier the soil!
The students are also learning about earth worms as another soil health indicator. Find out how to do a worm survey at your place here.
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ECO Fund
The next round of the ECO Fund is open from 1-20 October. If you have a community-led project that protects, enhances or promotes Otago’s environment, get in touch with our team ASAP to see if your project is a fit. You can call us on 0800 474 082, email us or check out our website. |
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Flood alert survey
We're asking for feedback on our flood alert service. Love it? Room for improvement? Or never heard of it? Please let us know in this 2 minute survey. |
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ORC rates
There's still time to set up a direct debit with us to pay this year's rates. You can choose to pay your rates in one single payment on 30 October or three equal payments throughout the year. Set it up online before 30 September here. |
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Pest of the month: rooks
Rooks are our elusive pest of the month for September. There are relatively low numbers in Otago but they’re highly mobile and love to feed on and destroy crops. They also start to nest in spring so now is the time to keep a look out. Find out more here. |
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What's coming up?
1-20 October:
October 2020 ECO Fund round is open
8 October:
RD Agritech field day at Moneymore, Milton
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Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might like to read it. If you have been forwarded this email and would like to subscribe, please email us at water@orc.govt.nz.
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