Regional Water Plan
Purpose of the Plan
Water quality and quantity, groundwater and wetlands are issues that Southlanders are interested in. The purpose of this Plan is to promote the sustainable management of Southland's rivers, lakes, groundwater, surface water, and wetland resources. The plan is aimed at enabling the use and development of fresh water where this can be undertaken in a sustainable way, providing a framework for activities, such as discharges to water, taking and using water, and structures and bed disturbance activities in river beds.
Environment Southland publicly notified the Regional Water Plan for Southland on 30 September 2000. Following the process of submissions, hearings and appeals, the majority of the Plan was approved and made operative on 18 January 2010. The plan provisions on agricultural effluent ponds were made operative on 13 April 2010. The plan provisions on silage became operative on 23 November 2011.
CURRENTLY CONSULTING ON: - PLAN CHANGES
The Regional Water Plan is a 'living document' with a further series of updates (plan changes) in progress. Key proposed plan changes include:
- Incorporating older regional plans into the Regional Water Plan (this is called the Discharge Plan project);
- Improvements to how we manage the impact of groundwater abstraction on surface water resources;
- Enhancements to the plan provisions for confined aquifers (groundwater overlain by an impermeable, or low permeable layer); and
- New rules specifically providing for community water takes.
The topics currently going through the consultation process outlines in the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act are:
Download the full Regional Water Plan below:
For those who would like higher quality maps, please download the maps as a separate download below. Please note that the file size of the high quality maps is quite large and may take a while to download depending on your internet connection.
Regional Water Plan amendment - as required by the National Policy Statement
The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2011 (NPS) contains policy direction for regional plans and will be incorporated into the Regional Water Plan for Southland by future plan changes as required. The Council is required to include two of the policies from the NPS immediately. The Regional Water Plan for Southland was amended on 16 August 2011 to insert these policies for resource consent decision making. The two policies adopt the wording set out in Policy A4 and B7 of the NPS. Section 55(2A) of the Resource Management Act provides for these amendments to be made without public consultation. The new policies will be taken into account for consent applications.
PLAN CHANGES
Environment Southland publicly notified proposed Plan Change 13 (New dairy farming) to the Regional Water Plan for Southland in The Southland Times on 14 April 2012 with submissions closing at 5pm on Monday 21 May 2012.
Rule 16C, contained within proposed Plan Change 13, will take legal effect from the date of public notification in accordance with Section 86B(3) of the Resource Management Act 1991. The use of land for new dairy farming (which is defined in the proposed plan change) will therefore require resource consent from 14 April 2012.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan change and accompanying report can be downloaded below, as well as a series of frequently asked questions.
Environment Southland has been working with stakeholders to develop policies and rules for managing fractured rock and confined aquifers. A proposed plan change was publicly notified on 12 November 2011 with submissions closing on Friday 9 December 2011.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Change 12 (Fractured Rock and Confined Aquifers)
Environment Southland received three submissions to proposed Plan Change 12. The summary of decisions requested document can be downloaded below. Further submissions to this proposed plan change are now being called for. They must be received by Environment Southland by 4:30pm on Monday 13 February 2012.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan change and accompanying report can also be downloaded below:
Plan Change 11 - Industrial and Trade Premises
Environment Southland has been working with stakeholders to develop policies and rules for managing the environmental effects associated with discharges of effluent from industrial and trade premises to land. A proposed plan change was publicly notified on 20 August 2011 with submissions closing on Friday 16 September 2011.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Change 11 (Discharges of Effluent from Industrial and Trade Premises to Land)
Environment Southland received ten submissions to proposed Plan Change 11. The summary of decisions requested document can be downloaded below. Further submissions to this proposed plan change are now being called for. They must be received by Environment Southland by 4:30pm on Friday 2 December 2011.
Environment Southland has been working with stakeholders to develop policies and rules for managing the environmental effects associated with discharges from closed landfills. A proposed plan change was publicly notified on 9 July 2011.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan change and accompanying report can be downloaded below:
Public submissions on these plan changes closed on 5 August 2011. Further submissions closed on 7 November 2011.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submisisons - Plan Change 10A
Proposed Plan Change 9 (Hazardous Waste) and Plan Change 10 (Contaminated Land)
Environment Southland publicly notified Plan Change 9 (Hazardous Waste) and Plan Change 10 (Contaminated Land) to the Regional Water Plan for Southland on 26 February 2011.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan changes and accompanying reports can be downloaded below:
Public submissions on these plan changes closed at on Friday 25 March 2011. Further submissions closed on 3 June 2011.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Changes 9 and 10
Proposed Plan Change 5, 6, 7 and 8
Environment Southland has been working with stakeholders to update existing rules for managing the environmental effects associated with discharges of solid waste. Four proposed plan changes were publicly notified on 16 October 2010 and closed on 16 November 2010.
Plan Change 5
Plan Change 6
Plan Change 7
Plan Change 8
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Change 5, 6, 7 & 8
Proposed Plan Change 3 (Community Water Supplies) and Plan Change 4 (Refuse Disposal Facilities)
Environment Southland publicly notified Plan Change 3 (Community Water Supplies) and Plan Change 4 (Refuse Disposal Facilities) to the Regional Water Plan for Southland on 11 September 2010.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan changes and accompanying reports can be downloaded below:
Public submissions on these plan changes closed on 11 October 2010. Further submissions closed on Friday, 26 November 2010.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Change 3 & 4
Plan Change 3 (Community Water Supplies)
On Saturday, 10 March 2012, Environment Southland notified its decisions on submissions and further submissions lodged to Plan Change 3 (Community Water Supplies) to the Regional Water Plan for Southland.
Pursuant to Clause 14 of the First Schedule, these provisions will become operative if no appeal is lodged within 30 working days.
Those who have made a submission and who have referred to the relevant plan provision or matter in their submission may submit an appeal to the Environment Court. Clause 14 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) details rights and obligations of submitters who wish to appeal the Council decision. Any appeal to the Environment Court under Clause 14 of the RMA must be in the prescribed form and lodged with the Environment Court within 30 working days of service of the notice of decision.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the proposed plan changes or the appeals process, please contact Environment Southland on 0800 76 88 45 (Southland only) or 03 211 5115, or email service@es.govt.nz. If you need further copies of the plan change (either electronic or paper copies), please do not hesitate to request them.
Copies of the decision report and appendix can be downloaded below:
Proposed Plan Change 1 (Farm Dairy Effluent)
On Saturday, 12 November 2011, Environment Southland notified its decisions to approve the inclusion of Policies 42, 42A, 43 and Rule 50 in the Regional Water Plan for Southland which were introduced by Plan Change 1.
Pursuant to Clause 14 of the First Schedule, Policies 42, 42A, 43 and Rule 50 will become operative if no application for appeal is lodged within 30 working days of the service of this notice. Current Rule 5.4.1of the Regional Effluent Land Application Plan for Southland shall be revoked from the time these plan provisions become operative.
Those who have made a submission and who have referred to the relevant plan provision or matter in their submission may submit an appeal to the Environment Court. Clause 14 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) details rights and obligations of submitters who wish to appeal the Council decision. Any appeal to the Environment Court under Clause 14 of the RMA must be in the prescribed form and lodged with the Environment Court within 30 working days of service of the notice of decision.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the proposed plan changes or the appeals process, please contact Environment Southland on 0800 76 88 45 (Southland only) or 03 211 5115, or email service@es.govt.nz. If you need further copies of the plan change (either electronic or paper copies), please do not hesitate to request them.
Copies of the decision report and appendix can be downloaded below:
Environment Southland publicly notified Plan Change 1 (Farm Dairy Effluent) and Plan Change 2 (Silage) to the Regional Water Plan for Southland on 17 July 2010.
Copies of the public notice, proposed plan changes and accompanying reports can be downloaded below:
Public submissions on these plan changes closed on 13 August 2010. Further submissions on these plan changes closed on Friday, 19 November 2010.
Summary of Decisions Requested in Submissions - Plan Change 1
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the proposed plan changes, please contact Environment Southland on 0800 76 88 45 (Southland only) or 03 211 5115, or email service@es.govt.nz. If you need further copies of the plan changes (either electronic or paper copies), please do not hesitate to request them.
Plan Change 2 (Silage)
Proposed Plan Change 2 (Silage) was publicly notified in July 2010. Rule 51 and Policy 44 became operative on 23 November 2011 and are now contained in the Water Plan.
Variation No. 6 (Agricultural Effluent Ponds)
A new rule and policy regarding the design and construction of agricultural effluent ponds was added to the Water Plan in March 2009. These provisions became operative on 13 April 2010. The relevant documentation can be downloaded below:
Review of methods for setting water quantity conditions in the Environment Southland Regional Water Plan - NIWA
Order a Copy
Copies of the Water Plan may be requested by contacting a Customer Services Officer at Environment Southland by email: service@es.govt.nz or telephone: (03) 211 5115 or toll free (within Southland) 0800 76 88 45.
- Regional Water Plan - $20
The Regional Water Plan for Southland is also available to view at:
- Environment Southland's offices on the corner of North Road and Price Street, Invercargill;
- Public libraries within the region;
- the Invercargill City Council offices, 101 Esk Street, Invercargill;
- the Southland District Council offices, 15 Forth Street, Invercargill;
- the Gore District Council offices, 29 Civic Avenue, Gore.
Environment Southland is the brand name of Southland Regional Council.