Kia ora

There's still plenty of time for you to have your say on Water Quality Targets.

For this engagement, we're seeking feedback on the provisional targets that will not only halt the decline of the region’s water quality but also help to make our communities' visions for freshwater a reality.

We want to know your thoughts on the following:

• Our approach to setting water quality targets across the region
• If the environmental outcomes for your freshwater management unit (FMU) are ambitious and reasonable
• What timeframes are appropriate to achieve the water quality targets in your FMU
• Your level of support for the proposed actions to improve water quality
• Any other related concerns (e.g. around the possible social or economic impacts on the region's communities) or feedback you want to share with us.

In this email, we're continuing to share more examples of actions Horizons has modelled which are known to reduce the amount of contaminants entering waterways across different environments.

Taking action with point source discharge reduction strategies

One of these actions is for wastewater treatment plants to discharge treated wastewater to land.

When treated wastewater is discharged directly into rivers, it contributes to higher levels of nutrients downstream from the discharge site. This promotes nuisance algae growth, which, when it dies and decomposes, depletes the oxygen in the water available to aquatic life.

By diverting these discharges to land, soil and plants can filter nutrients in the wastewater and reduce the amount entering rivers and streams.

Taking action with Critical Source Area management practices

Another action is to fence off Critical Source Areas on pastoral farms. A Critical Source Area is anywhere on a farm at high risk of losing contaminants to water.

After heavy rain, water converges in these areas, collecting, concentrating and transporting contaminants into waterways. Those contaminants can negatively impact freshwater health.

Fencing off Critical Source Areas creates a grass buffer zone that filters and slows the path of contaminants towards water. It also prevents stock from loosening erodible soils and producing contaminant-rich waste in these areas.

What do you think about these actions being part of the suite to get us to our provisional freshwater targets? 

Share your thoughts with us by 5 pm, 13 December.

Last Rural Roadshow dates

Come along and hear our staff talk about how proposed targets have been created, what they mean in practice and how you can have your say on them.
 
Details for the last Rural Roadshow meetings are as follows:

• 2.30pm Wednesday 22 November, Levin RSA, Levin
• 6pm Wednesday 22 November, Palmerston North Cosmopolitan Club, Palmerston North 

Presentations will start at those times, but people are welcome to arrive up to 30 minutes early, when refreshments will be available. There will also be time for further questions and conversations afterwards over refreshments. 

If you've been unable to make these meetings, get in touch with the rural advice team on freephone 0508 800 800 to discuss alternative options.