Southland Science Report Southland Freshwater Quality Implications for Rural Communities
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Southland Science Report Southland Freshwater Quality Implications for rural communities Prepared For Thriving Southland Prepared By Landpro Ltd 13 Pinot Noir Drive PO Box 302 Cromwell Tel +64 3 445 9905 i QUALITY INFORMATION Reference: Landpro (2020) Southland Freshwater Quality, Implications for rural communities. Prepared for Thriving Southland. Date: 12 November 2020 Prepared by: Mike Freeman, Nick Boyens, Brodie Costello, and Matilda Ballinger Reviewed by: Claire Perkins. Client Review: Miranda Hunter, Thriving Southland Version: Final Disclaimer: We have prepared this report for our client based on their instructions. They may use it, as agreed between us. Landpro has no duty, and does not make or give any express or implied representation or guarantee, whatsoever to any person other than our client. If you are not our client then, unless this report has been provided to you as a local authority or central government agency as part of a public process: • you have no right to use or to rely on this report or any part of it, and • you may not reproduce any of it. We have done our best to ensure the information is fit for purpose at the date of preparation and meets the specific needs of our client. Sometimes things change or new information comes to light. This can affect our recommendations and findings. © Landpro Ltd 2020 ii Executive Summary Thriving Southland is a community-led group that is working with the community to drive positive change in the primary sector in Southland, by working with farmers and supporting catchment groups. Thriving Southland commissioned this report to provide an understanding of the background state of the environment relating to freshwater quality, risks and pressures that catchments in the region are facing, the implications for farmers, and gaps in information that need to be filled to assist farmers meet the future challenges. Freshwater quality in Southland has been declining in developed parts of the region, and is under threat from various sources, both urban and rural. Southland’s 23 catchment groups provide a local, community response to water quality issues specific to their area. In response the declining freshwater quality nationally, central government has recently announced changes to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM), new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES) and changes to the Resource Management Act. Environment Southland, in partnership with Te Ao Marama Inc, is currently working on a Progressive Implementation Programme that will result in a new proposed change to the current proposed Southland Water and Land Plan that will establish freshwater objectives and set limits to implement the NPSFM by 31 December 2025. These changes will result in additional controls in Southland that will be focussed on reducing the loss of contaminants (particularly nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), microorganisms and sediment) from land to groundwater and surface water. This means that in most parts of Southland there will be new rules that directly or indirectly will set limits on the amounts of N and P that can be lost to water. There are also likely to be new rules aimed at reducing losses of sediment and microorganisms to water. Catchment groups are in the ideal position to collectively work together on strategies that can be designed to address specific catchment challenges. While the focus of general strategies outlined in the report is on individual farms, catchment groups will be in the best position to tailor packages that enable adjoining landowners to work together. Catchment groups need to be provided with tailored information and advice as soon as practicable to ensure that as many people in the catchment as possible understand the nature of our current water quality issues, the changes that are coming, the scale of the likely changes that will be needed, and the measures that can be taken individually and collectively to ensure that communities are moving towards the achievement of agreed objectives. iii Table of Contents 1. BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................... 1 2. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 3. SOUTHLAND’S CATCHMENT GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 2 4. WHAT INFLUENCES WATER QUALITY IN SOUTHLAND .............................................................................. 5 4.1 CLIMATE .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 4.1.1 Climate change ...................................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 GEOLOGY AND SOILS ........................................................................................................................................... 7 4.3 HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 7 4.3.1 Streams and rivers ................................................................................................................................. 7 4.3.2 Artificial drainage .................................................................................................................................. 8 4.3.3 Groundwater .......................................................................................................................................... 8 4.4 LAND USE ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 5. WATER QUALITY IN SOUTHLAND – WHAT’S HAPPENING ....................................................................... 11 5.1 SURFACE WATER QUALITY .................................................................................................................................. 11 5.2 GROUNDWATER QUALITY .................................................................................................................................. 16 5.3 WETLANDS ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 5.4 ESTUARIES ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 5.5 WATER QUALITY AND BIODIVERSITY ..................................................................................................................... 22 6. MANAGING FRESHWATER QUALITY IN SOUTHLAND .............................................................................. 23 6.1 FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT UNITS (FMUS) ......................................................................................................... 23 6.2 SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT UNITS ................................................................................................................ 23 6.3 GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ZONES (GMZS) .................................................................................................... 23 6.4 PHYSIOGRAPHIC ZONES ..................................................................................................................................... 24 7. POLICY AND PLAN DIRECTION ................................................................................................................ 29 7.1 NATIONAL LEVEL .............................................................................................................................................. 29 7.1.1 Legislative Tools ................................................................................................................................... 29 7.1.2 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM) ............................................ 30 7.1.3 National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 .................................................................... 32 7.1.4 Regulations .......................................................................................................................................... 32 7.1.5 Other relevant statutory requirements ................................................................................................ 33 7.2 REGIONAL LEVEL .............................................................................................................................................. 33 7.2.2 Proposed Southland Water and Land Plan .......................................................................................... 33 7.2.3 Regional Water Plan 2010 ................................................................................................................... 34 7.2.4 Southland Regional Policy Statement 2017 ......................................................................................... 34 7.2.5 Regional Coastal Plan for Southland 2013 ........................................................................................... 34 7.2.6 Regional Effluent Land Application Plan 1998 ..................................................................................... 34 7.2.7 Te Tangi a Tauira – The Cry of the People, Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku Natural Resource and