Just six of 40 waterways in Southland are at an acceptable swimmability standard, a judge has heard. Environment Southland senior environmental scientist Roger Hodson was on Wednesday the first witness to give evidence at the Environment Court appeals hearing for the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan. Hodson agreed that of 40 sites in Southland with sufficient data around acceptable swimmability standards, just 15 per cent of 40 [six] were swimmable. The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan aims to address declining water quality and manage land-use activities that contribute a significant level of contaminants. "The focus should be on any adverse effects of the contaminant increase, not solely on a contaminant increase alone," Lenihan said.

Source: Stuff June 05, 2019 05:40 UTC