Four of 10 submitters speaking at an Otago Regional Council annual plan hearing in Cromwell this week highlighted concerns about the potential impact of dairying on water quality.
Guardians of Lake Wanaka, the Cromwell and Districts Community Trust and Dennis Pezaro, also speaking on behalf of Gilbert van Reenen,
raised fears about the effects of intensification of agriculture, in particular dairying, on waterways and lakes in the Central Otago and Southern Lakes areas, at the hearing on Monday.
Don Robertson, speaking for the Guardians, said the group was concerned about a lack of water-quality monitoring in deepwater lakes, and the potential for algal blooms to occur in Lake Wanaka, caused by nitrogen run-off from farms.
Monitoring had been ''left drifting'', he said.
Dr Robertson also requested funding for water-quality monitoring buoys on behalf of the group.
Council chairman Stephen Woodhead rejected the claim deepwater lakes were being ignored.
Plan change 6a (water quality) was an example of efforts the council was making regarding water-quality issues, he said.
Cromwell and Districts Trust chairwoman Jacqui Rule said the group was concerned about dairying, and the installation of centre-pivot irrigation, which would be detrimental to the Cromwell basin's landscape value.
In response, Cr Gerry Eckhoff suggested the landscape had already been altered by the grape industry.
Mr van Reenen's submission covered ''insidious'' contamination of ground water, aquifers and provincial waterways by nitrates, phosphates and bacterial contaminants.
The effects-based regime introduced by the council in its plan change reflected complacency, his submission said.
Dr Pezaro said he was concerned the council had lost its nerve in tackling the ''big issues'' because of a lack of funding and was favouring the farming community.
Water-quality standards had created a ''pollute-to'' level, rather than an emphasis on not polluting and the fencing of waterways, he said.
Cr Gretchen Robertson said dairy farms in the Otago region had about 97% of their waterways fenced before the Fonterra Dairying and Clean Streams Accord was signed in May 2003.
Mr Woodhead said the council was already seen as ''strict'' concerning water-quality standards, and had taken compliance action in the past.
The council reserved its decisions on the submissions.
Annual plan hearings continue in Dunedin tomorrow.
The council's 2014-15 draft annual plan attracted 55 submissions.
