Policy and science general manager Anita Dawe said the first round of consultation was completed early this year when communities throughout Otago told the council which river, lake or stream "values" were most important to them, such as the ability to fish and swim in clean waterways.
In this second round, from late next month until early December, the council wanted feedback around the options it put forward to reach the values people said were important.
"The key question is: ‘What do people think we need to do to prioritise the health of our fresh waters?’," Ms Dawe said of the upcoming consultation.
At the community meetings, council staff would present what was known about the health of waterways in each area as well as the possible action needed and what results those actions might achieve in the area.
"Otago waterbodies are in varying states of health and in some parts of the region we need to put more effort in," she said.
"Intervening now with a balanced and outcomes-focused land and water plan to manage our waterways provides the opportunity to leave the region better than we found it."
The new land and water plan would set boundaries and expectations, making decision-making processes easier and clearer, she said.
"For example, if we reduce the amount of sediment that enters waterways, we reduce the potential for smothering aquatic life or losing habitat for native fish species."
Feedback from round two consultation would be used when drafting "preferred options" for the plan, including limits such as minimum flows and levels and allocation limits.
Those would then be presented back to the community next year, she said.
The council must notify its land and water plan by the end of next year in order to meet deadlines for fit-for-purpose freshwater plans set in 2019 by Environment Minister David Parker.
- Staff Reporter
