31 July 2018Freshwater investment confirmedClimate change, flood protection and recovery, and biosecurity work are three of the key focus areas for Bay of Plenty Regional Council following the adoption of its Long Term Plan 2018-2028 last month. The focus areas are closely intertwined with Council’s freshwater management work which, for the coming decade, will include business as usual functions to improve land and water use practices throughout the region, along with delivery of three major projects:
The Long Term Plan commits increased resourcing to freshwater science and consents monitoring work so that we can meet expanded national requirements and improve our understanding of the available resource. The Plan also provides for additional work on aquatic pest surveillance, in response to community concerns about catfish and alligator weed. See the full, approved plan at www.boprc.govt.nz/ltp Prosecutions for poor sediment controlTwo companies have been fined and convicted recently for poor sediment management practices, including one incident that involved a direct discharge into fresh water. The convictions are the result of investigations and prosecution action by Regional Council staff. Katikati Quarries Ltd was convicted and fined $30,000 for a discharge of sediment contaminated storm water to the Uretara stream. The incident occurred when a worker cut a channel to drain the pit. Council was alerted to the incident by reports from the public of discolouration in the stream. Earthworks contractor G J Vercoe Contracting Ltd was convicted and fined $52,500, in relation to illegal earthworks at two locations: a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard and a Maketū dairy farm. At both locations, the contractor had failed to apply adequate erosion or sediment controls to protect waterways and was in breach of permitted activity rules. Damage to data sitesRecent damage and theft at a telemetry station in the upper Whakatāne catchment has taken an important monitoring tool offline for several weeks; costing thousands of dollars, and creating a gap in the system that detects heavy rainfall, rising river levels and feeds into Regional Council’s early flood warning system. Staff are working to repair and replace the site as quickly as possible and will be adding extra security features. Real time data from our network of 130 automated sites that measure changes in indicators such as rainfall, soil moisture and temperature, groundwater, and lake levels is available for anyone to use at www.boprc.govt.nz/livemonitoring. Please help us to maintain this service by reporting any suspicious activity you see at sites that look like those pictured below. Kaituna River re-diversion under wayWork to partially restore freshwater flows from the Kaituna River into Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi is now underway. See a video from the sod-turning ceremony below. A community update meeting is being held at 5.30pm on Wednesday 1 August at Tukotahi marae (83 Ford Road, beside the Ford Road boat ramp car park). Find out more and subscribe for future updates on Council’s work throughout the Kaituna Catchments in the first edition of our new Kaituna Kōrero e-newsletter>> Bottling consent under appealA publicly notified resource consent application by Creswell NZ Limited to expand the existing Otakiri water bottling plant was granted on 13 June. See submission and hearing records here>>, the decision report is also available online. Three submitters have subsequently lodged appeals, elevating the consent decision to the Environment Court. The primary relief sought in all three appeals is for the consents to be declined. Court-assisted mediation between Regional Council and the appellants will now commence and an update report is due to the Court by 12 October. Locals show love for Rangitāiki RiverMore than 50 local people including Waiohau landowners, tamariki from Te Kura Maori-a-Rohe o Waiohau, and other volunteers came together for a July working bee to plant beside a historic puna (spring) that has been recently fenced off to permanently remove stock. Together they put 1500 sedges, shrubs and trees in the ground. Wai o te Hau have also been restoring a wetland on their property nearby, by removing weeds and planting 2500 plants. The plants at both sites will provide shade to cool the water, and supply food and shelter for fish, invertebrates and birds. The plantings will also help to keep the Rangitāiki River and its tributaries clean by intercepting sediment run-off from adjacent paddocks. Modelling workshops rescheduledWork to predict catchment-specific water quality and quantity outcomes under different land use and water management scenarios is progressing well. Council staff now expect to start discussing the first round of modelling results with Freshwater Futures Community Groups for the Rangitaiki, Kaituna Maketū and Pongakawa Waitahanui Water Management Areas in late September. In the meantime, discussions with iwi about the freshwater values and places most important to them are ongoing. The first round of modelling results will explore the amount of E.coli bacteria, nitrogen, suspended solids, and phosphorous in waterways. They will provide estimates of contaminant levels that would occur naturally, and compare those to both current land use, and likely future land use scenarios where current rules and plan provisions still apply. The predictions will help inform the development of new catchment-specific changes to the Regional Natural Resources Plan. Wider public consultation on catchment-specific water quality and quantity issues, options and draft plan changes is still scheduled to start in early 2019. Presentations, briefing notes and records for community group discussions are available here>> Small changes making big difference for WaiōtaheRegional Council Land Management staff have been meeting with Waiōtahe landowners to help them put newly developed Farm Environment Plans into action. Fonterra’s Sustainable Dairy Advisor Nick Doney worked with 16 landowners to develop the plans, in response to concerns about faecal contamination of pipi in the Waiōtahe estuary, near Ōpōtiki. Some farmers are already putting their plans into action by improving drain fences, modifying cattle races, retiring and planting wet areas, fencing off bush, and planting stream margins. The farmers are discovering that making lots of small, affordable, changes can make a big difference. Kaituna River Document takes legal effectThe Kaituna River Document: Kaituna he taonga tuku iho - a treasure handed down, has now been approved and publicly notified as having legal effect from 1 August 2018. See answers to frequently asked questions about the purpose and effect of the document here>> The next stage of work for Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority will be to develop an action plan that brings the document to life by outlining and prioritising the collective work that’s needed to deliver on the vision, objectives and outcomes it has set. Find out more and download the summary or full document at www.kaituna.org.nz. Wastewater impacts checkedThe Bay of Plenty Regional Council has released a new monitoring report on the impacts of on-site domestic wastewater systems (such as septic tanks) in the Bay of Plenty. The report includes water quality monitoring results for a number of un-reticulated coastal and lake-side communities. It shows that replacement of septic tanks with a reticulated system at Lake Ōkāreka has significantly reduced nitrate inputs to the lake. It also found that the introduction of a Maintenance Zone at Tanners Point has resulted in decreasing contaminant levels in local drains. The report raises concerns in relation to water contamination from septic tanks at Matatā and Mamaku; options for addressing that will be considered through an upcoming plan change. Draft changes to on-site effluent treatment system (OSET) rulesA draft plan change to the Regional Natural Resources Plan has been prepared. The change includes revised policies and rules to manage the safe treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater. The plan change covers septic tanks, greywater, composting toilets and aerated wastewater systems. It does not affect dairy shed discharges, or municipal sewerage discharges. Community consultation on Draft Plan Change 14 (OSET) will start from 31 July. When finalised, the provisions of the Plan Change will replace the existing On-Site Effluent Treatment Regional Plan, and be incorporated into Regional Natural Resources Plan. The draft plan change and supporting documents will be available online at www.boprc.govt.nz/osetplanchange. Anyone can make comments on the draft plan change during the consultation period which closes at 4 pm on 26 October 2018. Hearings Panel requests extra timeHearings Panel recommendations on the Proposed Region-wide Water Quantity Plan Change (Plan Change 9) are now due to be presented to Council’s Regional Direction and Delivery Committee on 18 September. Read more at www.boprc.govt.nz/waterquantity Dairy effluent compliance reportA snapshot report on dairy effluent consent compliance for the 2017-18 year has now been released. Regional Council staff checked on 271 consent holders and found that 74 percent of them were fully compliant with the conditions of their consents. Serious non-compliance was found at five percent of sites and as a result 21 abatement or infringement notices were issued and five prosecutions have been initiated. The most common problems detected were due to storage pond overflows, or poor placement and management of effluent irrigators. Dairy Effluent Expo – November 2018Regional Council staff will be on deck to talk to BOP farmers who visit the Dairy Effluent Expo at Mystery Creek on 27 and 28 November 2018. The Expo is a great place for farmers to talk to experts and explore options for upgrading their effluent systems, or learn about the latest best practice options for getting the most fertiliser value out of their effluent. Find out more at www.effluentexpo.co.nz. New rain gauge for NgongotahaA new rain gauge has been installed on Relph Rd, Ngongotaha to help monitor flood risk in heavy weather events. Live monitoring data from the site can be viewed online here>>. Orchard water use assessedWater use by more than 140 registered kiwifruit and avocado growers has now been assessed through a partnership programme between Regional Council, NZ Kiwifruit Growers Association and NZ Avocado Growers. Approximately 50 resource consent applications are now expected by September, from growers who wish to take a greater volume of water than permitted activity levels allow. All water users are welcome to contact the Regional Council duty planner to make sure they’re compliant with regional rules, by calling 0800 884 880 during office hours. Rotoiti lake level loweredThe annual drawdown of Lake Rotoiti has commenced. It will see the lake drop 100mm below its normal operating range as part of consent guidelines to help facilitate flushing of the Ōhau Channel and reduce flood risk. Read more>> Rotorua flood reviewRotorua locals that were impacted by the 29 April floods are being invited to meet with a flood review panel commissioned by Regional and Rotorua Lakes Councils. A community consultation day is being held on 4 August. See details here>> Beyond the Bay
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