Leaky farm dairy effluent ponds can cause as many environmental problems as having inadequate storage, so Environment Southland is setting specific standards for pond construction.

Principal Planner Rachael Millar said that once the new regulations came into effect, new ponds would have to comply with design and construction standards set out in a Code of Practice. Pond construction would also have to be supervised by someone who had a recognised qualification.

“We have already discussed this proposal at a public meeting and had a series of focus meetings with pond designers, contractors and farmers last year. We’ve adapted the original proposals to take account of what they told us,” Ms Millar said. “But we would welcome any further comments before we formally notify the new requirements.”

The proposals are fully described on the Environment Southland website www.es.govt.nz and copies are also available by phoning 0800 76 88 45.

The Environment Court has been consistently suggesting to offenders that effluent storage ponds are part of a good effluent disposal system in regions like Southland. However, the Court has also taken a firm line with those who have taken short cuts with pond design and construction, allowing effluent to leak out of their ponds. The Judge in a recent prosecution in Otago stated that “there needs to be real care exercised when constructing such ponds to avoid leakage”.

Ms Millar said many of the Southland problems appear to have arisen from poorly designed, located and constructed effluent ponds. Some farmers were understandably keen to provide extended storage, but had taken short cuts in building their ponds.

“Scientific research shows that it is very important to have storage so you can avoid applying effluent when soils are wet, because there is a high chance the effluent will get into waterways or leach through to groundwater,” Ms Millar said. “This can significantly affect water quality and is also wasted money in terms of the loss of nutrients.”

While Environment Southland strongly supports extended storage, it’s critical that the ponds are watertight. Not only do leaking ponds have significant environmental effects, they also can be extremely costly to fix – not to mention the cost of any Environment Court prosecution.

“We are very aware that farmers do not want to see increased compliance costs , particularly with the reduction in Fonterra’s forecast payout. But it is much cheaper to get things right in the first place than have to fix them later,” Ms Millar said.

Environment Southland is also advising farmers about how to use effluent ponds effectively. Many dairy farmers went into last year’s milking season with insufficient storage in their ponds.

Once passed, the draft rule for effluent storage pond construction will be added to the Regional Water Plan, which outlines goals for water management in Southland. The Water Plan is regularly updated and amended to account for new technologies and emerging issues not previously considered. For example, in 2000, when Environment Southland drafted the Water Plan, groundwater was not the diminishing resource it is today, as irrigation needs grow to keep pace with the global market.

While most policies in the Water Plan have been fully operative since October 2003, there is still one remaining Environment Court appeal, filed by Fish and Game regarding stock access.

Fish and Game have recently placed their appeal on hold, pending the results of the Discharge Plan review, a project currently underway to condense and update all discharge to land rules found in the Water Plan, Effluent Land Application Plan and the Solid Waste Plan. The review will also identify gaps—be they emergent technologies or issues— in current plans regarding discharge to land.

Over the next three years, Environment Southland will work on consolidating all the discharge to land rules with the Water Plan into a single Water and Land plan.

5 February 2009

Contact Rachael Millar for further information (03) 211 5115.

To read the article online, click here.

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