A council boss is worried an expensive environmental plan for Southland may have to be overhauled to fit the Government's new freshwater guidelines to improve water quality. Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell says there is a concern that all the work around the council's Water and Land Plan may have been for nothing and essentially the council will have to "start again." The council's Water and Land Plan is currently before the Environment Court after several weeks of hearings were held in June. Horrell feels if the freshwater guidelines come in, the council will need more staff to cope. Under the proposed freshwater rules farmers will also have to reduce rates of nitrogen loss within five years, and there may be caps on fertiliser use.

Source: Stuff October 04, 2019 05:48 UTC