National Policy Statement: Freshwater Management 2014
Progressive Implementation Programme for Giving Effect to Policy A1 and Policy B1.
Policy E1 of the National Policy Statement: Freshwater Management 2014, requires the Marlborough District Council to give public notice of the extent to which its Progressive Implementation Programmes (PIP) for Implementing Policies A1 and B1 of the National Policy Statement: Freshwater Management 2014 have been implemented.
The Marlborough District Council has reviewed the Marlborough Regional Policy Statement, the Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan and Wairau/Awatere Resource Management Plan and notified the proposed Marlborough Environment Plan. Once operative, the Marlborough Environment Plan will replace the previous planning documents with regards to freshwater management. Most of the policies of the National Policy Statement will be given effect to through the proposed Marlborough Environment Plan, with the exception of Policies A1 and B1. The Marlborough Environment Plan does not include cumulative freshwater quality limits, or a minimum water level for the recharge area of the Wairau Aquifer Freshwater Management Unit.
A PIP for setting cumulative freshwater quality limits was adopted and notified in November 2012 by the Council. Stage 1 of the PIP sets out four interim actions. The interim steps have been achieved or are being progressively implemented. Initial scoping work for Stage 2 of the PIP will begin in 2017.
Stage | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
Stage 1: Interim water quality protection | Plan changes notified to require resource consent for the conversion of land to dairy farming. | 21 December 2012 |
Ongoing and progressive implementation of Council's Stormwater Strategy. | N/A | |
Implementation of the Farm Planning Service to assist existing dairy farmers to improve their environmental performance with respect to the effects of their activity on water quality. | Commenced 1 July 2012 | |
Ongoing state of the environment monitoring of physical, chemical, biological and macro-invertebrate to establish baseline conditions and detect trends in water quality. | N/A | |
Stage 2: Technical Investigations | Technical investigations to collect, analyse and report data that will support the establishment of cumulative water quality limits on a catchment by catchment basis. The data will include land use information, data on the leaching and runoff of contaminants, the assimilative capacity of waterbodies at different flows taking into account the values that the waterbodies support. It is likely that modelling will also be required to establish cumulative limits. The Environmental Science and Monitoring Group received funding through the 2016 Annual Plan that will assist the Council in giving effect to Policy A1. The funding is $315,000 over a three year period. The Council is participating in the nationwide Freshwater Contaminant Transfer Pathway Project that is receiving funding from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment. The Wairau Plains have been identified as a focus for the project. | 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2023 |
Stage 3: Plan Changes | Preparation and notification of plan changes to introduce cumulative limits. If necessary, the plan changes will include methods and timeframes for managing water quality improvements if freshwater objectives not being met. | By 30 June 2024, but potentially progressively over this time period, on a catchment by catchment basis. |
A PIP for establishing a minimum water level for the recharge area of the Wairau Aquifer Freshwater Management Unit was adopted and notified in February 2015 by the Council. Progress with each of the stages is summarised in bold in the table below. The stages are being progressively implemented as intended.
Stage | Description | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | Assessment of information held to identify gaps in knowledge. Completed. | 31 December 2015 |
Stage 2 | Technical investigations to collect, analyse and report data that will support the establishment of an environmental water level for the Wairau Aquifer. The work will include gathering water use information, further investigations of the mechanism in which the Wairau Aquifer is recharged from the Wairau River and the development of a fully calibrated model for running management options. March 2015 - Wairau River - Wairau Aquifer Interaction project initial report presented to Environment Committee. An update was provided in the Information Pack for the April 2015 meeting. February 2016 - Report to Environment Committee on the long-term declining trend in Wairau Aquifer water levels. | 31 December 2020 |
Stage 3 | Preparation and notification of plan changes to introduce a Wairau Aquifer minimum water level. If necessary, the plan changes will include methods and timeframes for applying minimum level restrictions to water users. | 31 December 2024 |
