North Otago irrigation companies are questioning the legitimacy of proposed changes to Otago regional water policy.
Public submission hearings on the Otago Regional Council's proposed changes to Plan 6A of its water regulations are under way in Oamaru, and expert witnesses submitting in a two-day joint submission by the North Otago Irrigation Company (NOIC), Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company and the Waitaki Irrigators Collective said the plan was unworkable, unachievable and needed a rethink.
The plan change proposes to introduce a leaching limit of nitrogen into ground water of 30kg per ha of land, per year, on average, which would be measured upon request by use of the Overseer 6 nutrient budgeting tool, but even one of the scientists who helped produce the tool said the way it was envisaged to use it in the plan change would not be appropriate.
Ravensdown chief scientific officer Dr Antony Roberts said council staff had not given "full thought" to Overseer's application.
"Overseer alone should not be used to determine nitrogen loss limits, as the estimates are of nitrogen leaving the root zone, not estimates of nitrogen entering receiving waters."
NOIC environmental manager Jodi Leckie said the company was concerned the proposed changes would put "good farmers" in breach of the plan, even though water quality in Waitaki was already of good quality.
New Zealand Planning Institute member Louise Taylor said the effects-based approach suggested in the plan was not appropriate, and the wording of the plan was ambiguous in many places.
Ms Taylor said the irrigation companies did not feel the consultation carried by the ORC was a genuine attempt to understand their concerns, or to use their local knowledge to help develop an appropriate method.
"It is simply not reasonable in these circumstances, to proceed with the plan change, as worded."
The plan was "simply too ambitious", she said.
Day 14
Where: Oamaru.
Panel: Councillors Duncan Butcher (chairman), David Shepherd and independent member Clive Geddes.
Proposal: Changes to Otago's water regulations to prevent run-off in rural areas polluting the region's waterways.
Submitters: North Otago Irrigation Company, Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company, Waitaki Irrigators Collective Ltd.
Quote of day: "When ORC promoted PC6A they said that by being effects-based, they could stay out of our business, but it looks as though we will be out of it, as well." - Chris Dennison
