Last month, Environment Southland issued a hard-hitting statement, saying it had "had a gutsful" of non-compliance over effluent disposal by some farmers and warning it would take a "hardline no excuses" attitude.
When contacted yesterday, the council's compliance manager Mark Hunter said the situation did not appear to have improved.
From about May 15 until now, there was between about 25%-30% non-compliance.
It had gone to the media in an attempt to "get the message out there". While staff did comment that those they contacted a few days after the media release were "very vigilant", it appeared some picked up as being significantly non-compliant were already in a situation that could not be retrieved.
Mr Hunter, who was "very disappointed", said he had been talking to some industry representatives who were also disappointed.
"A lot of people are doing their utmost and going beyond what is a good job. They really have the environment at heart.
"We're seeing systems going in now costing people in the region of $300,000 and they are going to result in the ultimate, if you like, in effluent treatment. Those people I feel sorry for, they are being tarred with the same brush as Joe Bloggs who doesn't want to put effort in," he said.
There were instances in the past where people had thumbed their noses at infringement fines.
Judges were "certainly applying the penalties they are able to and making it hurt where they can".
Environment Southland is also calling on the Government to amend the Land Transport Act to make it a specific offence for stock trucks to leak effluent on to roads.
Chairwoman Ali Timms was frustrated people expected the regional council to resolve a problem it had no power to fix.
While dairy and transport agencies should take collective responsibility for fixing the "perennial problem", the council was seeking a law change that would make it a specific offence to discharge effluent from stock trucks on to a road.
If the council found a truck discharging effluent in circumstances where it could reach water, then compliance staff could issue a $750 infringement notice, but it could not take action in most of the cases that had occurred on the region's roads in the past couple of weeks, Ms Timms said.