Rural run-off will not be targeted during exceptional weather events under tighter new water quality regulations, the Otago Regional Council says.
The council's 6A water quality plan change requires landowners to carefully monitor what runs off into waterways to ensure it does not affect water quality.
ORC environmental information and science director John Threlfall said weather conditions such as the snow and rain of the past week were ''exceptional'' and required common sense from landowners.
As long as landowners did not take advantage of the conditions to intentionally offload effluent or ''grossly breach'' the regulations, the council would not be looking to take compliance action, he said.
The recent snow and rain had left soils around the region waterlogged and rivers continued to run high.
''We're aware there is no way they can contain everything. These are circumstances beyond their control.''
Once rivers dropped below their median flow, then the council would expect farmers to return to normal practices.
''While rivers stay high there will be no compliance activity.''
One of the changes in plan change 6A was amending a clause which stated normal practices must be resumed 12 hours after a rainfall event, to when rivers returned to their median flow.
