Operative Waikato Regional Policy Statement (October 2000)

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3  Significant Resource Management Issues, Objectives, Policies and Methods

3.4  Water

3.4.5 Water Quality

Principal Reasons for Adopting: Water quality refers to the physical, chemical and biological attributes of water that affect its ability to sustain environmental values and uses. All major rivers and streams in the Waikato are impacted by human activities. There is no large river system left with an unmodified catchment from the source to the sea. However, some of the headwaters, particularly those running through native bush, are still in outstanding condition. Such outstanding water bodies need to be preserved in their current state. Similarly, very few lakes in the Waikato are in a natural, undisturbed condition. Protection of these natural and undisturbed lakes is of high priority.

Although not outstanding, many other streams and rivers (or at least their mid and upper reaches), as well as some lakes, are of high quality able to support most environmental values and uses such as swimming, fishing and supply for drinking water. The quality of these water bodies needs to be maintained at current levels and enhanced where possible.

Significantly degraded waters can generally be found in the lower reaches of streams and rivers. Most lowland lakes are severely impacted by human activities and land use changes in the catchment. Such degraded waters need to be actively managed to improve their physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Priority should be given to those water bodies where environmental values are compromised or where there are conflicting uses.

Ground water quality is affected by a range of factors, including the type of geological structure within which the water is located. This influences the range of uses that can be made of the water. Land use activities may also significantly affect ground water quality. For example, ground water quality may be degraded in areas of intensive land use due to nutrient and chemical loading. Contamination of ground water compromises the range of uses for the resource.

Ensure the protection of significant characteristics¹ of the quality of outstanding water bodies.

1. Through regional plans, district plans and resource consents identify and provide for the protection of significant characteristics of outstanding water bodies.
   
2. Through liaison with territorial authorities and interested parties, ensure the integrated management of land and water resources.
   
3. Through regional plans, district plans, and resource consent applications, require the assessment of effects of land use development and subdivision on the significant characteristics of water quality.

Determine the characteristics² for which other water bodies are valued and manage those water bodies to ensure that any adverse effects on those characteristics are avoided, remedied or mitigated.

1. Through regional plans, investigate the establishment of surface and ground water quality classes for other waters and propose water quality classes for these other waters as appropriate.
   
2. Ensure through regional plans, district plans and resource consents, that actual and potential adverse effects on water quality are avoided, remedied or mitigated in accordance with established water quality classes.
   
3. Through liaison with territorial authorities, iwi and other agencies, promote the integrated management of land and water resources including the use of a catchment based approach for the management of contaminants, especially those from non-point sources.
   
4. Through regional plans, district plans and resource consents ensure that stormwater discharges are managed to achieve the objectives and policies of this document.
   
5. Through environmental education programmes, provide information and practical guidance on how water quality can be maintained and enhanced and encourage land users to adopt land management practices which avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects on water quality.
   
6. Encourage the development of codes of practice by groups of resource users to assist them in achieving the objectives and policies of this Regional Policy Statement and Regional Plans. Such codes of practice shall be taken into account when developing rules relating to water quality and discharges in regional plans.
   
7. Develop a regional monitoring programme to identify and monitor the water quality classes established.

Ensure that the adverse effects of land use on water quality and aquatic habitats are avoided, remedied, or mitigated.

1. Prepare and implement, in conjunction with interested and affected parties, a prioritised riparian management and implementation strategy for the Region.
   
2. Through regional plans and district plans, establish methods (including rules, criteria, conditions, guidelines, and information, as appropriate) and through resource consents establish conditions, to manage the effects of land use activities on water quality and aquatic habitats.
   
3. Through regional and district plans, advocacy and education, encourage the protection of existing riparian vegetation and its further extension along the margins and beds of water bodies.
   
4. Encourage the acquisition and management of land in conjunction with territorial authorities and DoC for the purpose of establishing esplanade areas for the management of riparian margins.
   
5. Provide financial assistance, at an appropriate level, to territorial authorities for the acquisition of esplanade areas where regionally significant values or resources are involved or where the Waikato Regional Council (Environment Waikato) feels assistance is necessary to achieve the objectives and policies of the RPS.
   
6. Encourage the protection and planting of riparian margins by offering information, technical advice and assistance, preparing riparian management plans in conjunction with land owners and other interested parties, and by establishing joint venture programmes for specific catchments.

The policies and methods of implementation in relation to water quality have been adopted to protect outstanding water bodies and to maintain and enhance the quality of other water bodies by avoiding, remedying and mitigating the adverse effects of land use and management practices on the quality of both surface and ground water.

Policy One is concerned with protecting those water bodies of outstanding quality. The implementation methods encourage the establishment of water quality classes through regional plans to identify outstanding water bodies. Liaison with other authorities and interested parties will ensure that the water resources are managed in an integrated way to protect those outstanding water bodies.

Policy Two ensures that the uses for which other water bodies are valued are managed so that their attributes are maintained while avoiding, remedying and mitigating any adverse effects. This will ensure that the uses of water bodies are consistent with those for which they are valued. Emphasis in implementing Policy Two is placed on the establishment of water quality classes via rules incorporated into regional plans, education, and advice to landowners to adopt and maintain suitable land use practices.

As a consequence of point source discharges improving, the need to control diffuse, non-point pollution is gaining rapidly in importance and is now the dominant cause of water quality problems in the Waikato. Non-point sources of contamination are, however, much more difficult to identify, track and remedy than point discharges. A good understanding of land-water interactions, combined with an integrated catchment-wide approach is essential for the management and control of non-point sources of contaminants. Implementation Method 3 of Policy Two is therefore concerned with the catchment based management approach of contaminants, especially those from non-point sources.

Policy Three recognises that marginal and riparian vegetation plays a significant role in protecting water quality and enhancing aquatic ecosystems. Destabilisation of beds of rivers and lakes can also occur as a result of removal of bank vegetation. In addition, marginal and riparian vegetation can beautify the landscape and provide important wildlife corridors. The restoration of marginal/riparian vegetation at suitable locations will improve water quality, reduce bank erosion and run-off from land, thereby lowering the amount of sediments and nutrients entering waterways. In particular, indigenous forests play an important role in controlling flow run-off after heavy rains.

The methods of implementing Policy Three contain a mix of education, advocacy and advice to both local authorities and land owners to establish and maintain suitable riparian management practices. Rules, conditions and criteria may also be established through regional and district plans and conditions attached to resource consents to maintain and enhance riparian margins.

While Environment Waikato is primarily concerned with water quality matters in this section, close links between land and water management issues requires effective inter-agency liaison. Regional and district planning is concerned with the integrated management and control of effects of the use, development and protection of land and associated resources. In carrying out these responsibilities, Councils need to have specific regard to water quality related matters and frame objectives, policies and methods accordingly.

1. Protection of outstanding surface and ground waters.
   
2. Other surface and ground waters maintained and enhanced.
   
3. Protection of associated aquatic ecosystems, habitats and water quality contributing to public health.
   
4. Riparian margins maintained and enhanced.

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Footnotes

1. Characteristics may include:
   size including volume, and flow
   absence of substances toxic to resident biota
   high aesthetic values including clarity and lack of colour
   no nuisance growths or noxious plants as a result of nutrient enrichment
   aquatic habitat and associated riparian vegetation in a natural state
   minimal deviations from the natural temperature regime.
2. These characteristics may include:
   capacity to assimilate discharges
   capacity to absorb modifications to riparian vegetation
   extent of modification from the natural state
   degree to which natural character can be re-established
   one or more of the significant characteristics of outstanding water bodies.