A report has found regional councils should improve the data they collect from water meters to better educate irrigators on how to use water more efficiently. Sally Brooker reports.
A report on ''Monitoring how water is used for irrigation'' suggests regional councils should improve the quality and sharing of their water-metering data to help conserve water.
The Auditor-general presented the report to Parliament last week.
It was the first of seven audits of public organisations managing water, looking at the activities of six councils including Environment Canterbury.
''For this audit, we looked at how freshwater used for irrigation is tracked and measured. This included looking at how well water meter installation was managed, the quality of data collected from water meters, how the data was used, and whether this was leading to positive changes in the way water is used,'' the report authors said.
The study found the councils were starting to use information from the meters to educate water permit holders about how much they were using and how to use less.
''However, the quality of data collected can be poor, there can be issues with data that is collected manually, and there is scope for more co-ordination between councils,'' the authors said.
''There are opportunities for councils to improve the quality of their data. Although progress has been made, councils need to work closely with permit holders to improve the reliability of water meter data.
''Good data collection and usage about water used for irrigation should lead to positive changes in behaviour, such as more effective and efficient use of freshwater and more water conserved.''
The councils could work together to help permit holders change to more frugal forms of water use, the report said.
''Central government also needs to take the lead in co-ordinating knowledge and sharing practices that could result in more efficient use of freshwater.''
The report contained four recommendations to improve the quality of information recorded from water meters and how councils used it:
1. The Ministry for the Environment review the Resource Management (Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes) Regulations 2010 that allows manual data collection and annual data provision, and work with councils to ensure water permit holders regularly submit accurate data using automated processes.
2. Councils continue to work with water permit holders and data service providers to improve the timeliness and completeness of water-use data received.
3. The Ministry for the Environment, councils managing freshwater resources, and other interested groups work together to use water-use data to encourage compliance with permits and limits, for effective and efficient use of freshwater.
4. The Ministry for the Environment evaluate the benefits of water metering to understand how it has changed the way water permit holders have used their allocation.
''There are also important lessons to be learnt from the councils that implemented the regulations effectively. These councils prepared for system changes early, ensured good data collection, and integrated data from different sources to examine, review, and manage the use of freshwater resources,'' the authors said.
''Integrating data from different sources will help councils to oversee the horticulture and agriculture industries in their regions in an informed and effective way.''
The six councils were Environment Canterbury, the Otago, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty and Northland regional councils, and the unitary authority Marlborough District Council.
