Natural resources are under pressure and the environmental consequences of economic growth are chronic, Environment Southland's annual report states.
The annual report for July 2007 to July 2008 was released this month and the key points were related to dairying.
Environment Southland's (ES) responsibility to manage Papatuanuku (mother earth) has come under an ‘‘environmental reality check,'' the report stated.
Dairy farm intensification was the root of many challenges ES faced throughout the year. During the annual report period, 868 applications for consents were processed, up 138 on the previous year.
The increase was because of consents related to dairying, the report stated.
ES employed more planning and compliance staff to tackle the increase in consent activities which resulted in 75 per cent of the 868 consent applications processed within statutory timeframes.
Routine inspections carried out throughout the year showed most farmers were complying with the conditions of their consents. However, older consent conditions were not as stringent as current policies and environmental best practice should be applied, the report stated.
Seven infringement notices were issued to Southland farmers, while eight farmers were successfully prosecuted by ES for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent to land where it entered a waterway, the report stated.
Farmers were forced to stand their stock after public disgust at the amount of animal effluent spilling from stock trucks on to roads, but the problem was yet to be resolved with the introduction of permanent stock effluent dump sites around Southland, the report stated.
Along with a full-time dairy liaison officer job being created, farmers were imposed with new conditions to their consents requiring them to provide extended storage for effluent, the report stated.
Unwanted agriculture chemicals amounting to 12.8 tonnes were removed from properties throughout Southland.
Of the 12.8 tonnes of agrichemicals, 9.7 tonnes were made up of untraceable material that had to be shipped overseas for safe disposal, the report stated.
Many of the disposed substances were now banned for use such as DDT and Dieldrin (pesticides). During the past three years, 37.8 tonnes of agrichemicals had been collected by ES.
Lower catchments of Southland's rivers were also under pressure from dairy intensification.
The lower part of the Mataura River was identified as one of the worst polluted rivers in New Zealand, however the annual report stated that all the lower catchments of Southland's rivers were becoming more polluted from non-point source contamination.
Pesticide levels in the Edendale aquifers had dropped.
Southland's groundwater resources were still being investigated and the only matter in the new Water Plan that was destined for a court hearing related to stock access to surface water after it was appealed in submissions.
There were 584 flow gaugings carried out in the year. This reflected the increasing requirement for information on water throughout the province.
While land and water were by far the busiest areas of the environment for ES, air pollution was also under scrutiny. Domestic fires were the biggest source of air pollution in the region, the report stated.
There were nine official breaches of the national air quality guidelines in Invercargill and three in Gore. ES reported the findings of air quality readings in media throughout the winter.
The report stated the economic turmoil internationally and in New Zealand would not stop the pressures on Southland's environment.
‘‘Much of what we do is necessarily reactive,'' the report stated.
Even if the rate of dairy conversions dropped dramatically, ES would still be responding to the ongoing impacts of the expansion that has occurred, the report stated.
‘‘Assuming that the community agrees with our assessment of the appropriate response we will be developing policies, obtaining resources and requiring funding to allow us to implement that response,'' the report stated.
