New Zealand LandCare Trust has received funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries' sustainable farming fund for a study to help find the most effective ways to assist farmers address water quality issues in the southwest Otago catchment.
Otago Regional Council water quality studies have shown high nutrient levels, especially in the Pomahaka River's tributaries, mostly due to inappropriate use of dairy shed effluent.
Council environmental information and science director John Threlfall said in terms of soil type and environment, the Pomahaka catchment was one of the most challenging, as it was being converted from sheep and beef to dairy farming and much of the lower land was tile and mole drained.
''There are a lot of challenges and it's not obvious how to solve them.''
''We have to try [to] find solutions that are the most cost effective.''
The council was ''delighted'' the catchment project had received funding and would be working alongside Landcare to find solutions.
''We'll be sharing ideas...so we get the right answers.''
Landcare regional co-ordinator Janet Gregory said the combination of relatively high rainfall, tile and mole drainage, stock accessing waterways and winter feed crop grazing on saturated hillsides made the area a ''hot-spot''.
The funding would help the trust set up independent groups throughout the Pomahaka catchment to look at best practice, where the biggest risks were and the results of work done so far to reduce run-off into waterways, she said.
''We want to help the community identify options to go forward and welcome any contact from people wanting to be involved in that.''
The aim was to find out what the community wanted to do and how to go about it in a way that in the long term was economical for them, she said.
The project would begin in July.
