Water quality issues a '30-year problem' to solveIrrigationNZ Conference panelists Tim Cadogan, Alison Dewes, Con Williams, moderator Guyon Espiner, Jacinta Ruru, Fraser Jonker and Ryan O'Sullivan. However, both nutrient discharge and water allocation issues needed to be dealt with at a catchment level as there was so much variety from one catchment to another. Williams said a water tax would be expensive to collect, and a better approach would be to tax pollution. Dewes said water quality issues could be resolved, but needed more independent thinking and funding. Cadogan said Central Otago would be nowhere without irrigation and changes in irrigation policy could have a profound effect on the region.

Source: Stuff April 23, 2018 00:33 UTC