Operative Waikato Regional Policy Statement (October 2000)
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3 Significant Resource Management Issues, Objectives, Policies and Methods
3.5 Coast
3.5.5 Coastal Water Quality
| Issue: |
Any decline in coastal water quality may reduce its life supporting capacity, and/or result in decreased amenity, cultural, recreational and commercial value. |
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| Objective: |
The quality of coastal water in the Waikato Region maintained or enhanced. |
Principal Reasons for Adopting: This objective recognises that unpolluted water is a key component in sustainable management of the coastal environment. Coastal water has a variety of uses, and many of these uses rely on high water quality, for example, contact recreation, aquaculture, shellfish gathering and tourism. That is, the maintenance of high quality coastal water will safeguard life supporting capacity and allow for cultural, commercial and recreational use of the coast.
Policy One: Maintenance or Enhancement of Coastal Water Quality
Determine the characteristics for which coastal waters are valued and manage those waters to ensure that those characteristics are maintained by avoiding, remedying, and mitigating adverse effects on water quality.
Implementation Methods:
- Through the regional coastal plan, identify coastal areas where water has been degraded and seek to enhance it where practicable.
- Through the regional coastal plan and resource consent decisions, ensure that water quality is maintained.
- Liaise with other agencies which have responsibilities for water quality to ensure a co-ordinated approach is taken to the management of water quality.
- Through environmental education, encourage land owners, resource users and communities to adopt practices designed to maintain or enhance water quality.
- Through environmental education and liaison with territorial authorities, advocate the retention or enhancement of riparian vegetation along the coast.
Explanation and Principal Reasons for Adopting:
The water quality of the Waikato coast is, in most areas, considered to be of very high quality. The Waikato Regional Council (Environment Waikato) is therefore seeking to maintain this high quality water at current levels, and enhance it where it has been degraded through human use and development. This will mean allowing use and development of the coast to continue, while ensuring that the effects of that use or development do not compromise water quality. Areas where coastal water has been degraded will have to be identified and actively managed to improve their quality.
Riparian vegetation plays a significant role in protecting water quality. The restoration or protection of such areas can reduce erosion and run-off from land, resulting in a reduced amount of sediments and nutrients entering waterways. Liaison with territorial authorities, landowners and users of the coast will be necessary to promote the restoration and protection of such areas.
Environmental Results Anticipated
- Coastal water quality safe for contact recreation and shellfish gathering.
- Net increase in the area and quality of vegetation zones along the coast.
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