Regional Policy Statement for Taranaki |
The resource consents process and compliance monitoring
The Taranaki Regional Council's regulatory activities, particularly in the area of resource consent processing and administration and compliance monitoring, is one of the core activities of Council. The level of activity in this area fluctuates from year-to-year depending on the level of economic activity and other factors, but the Council anticipates it will process some 3,000 applications for resource consents (covering coastal, discharge, land use or water permits) over the next ten years.
In relation to water quality, all significant point source discharges to fresh water have a resource consent. Through the resource consents process, discharge activities that may have significant adverse effects on water quality are considered and only allowed subject to compliance with certain conditions (activities that have little or no adverse effects are permitted through rules in the Regional Fresh Water Plan for Taranaki - subject to compliance with conditions).
As at 1 April 2009, there were 1,479 discharge consents to surface water in the Taranaki region - 1,046 (or 71%) of which are agricultural discharges. Every discharge activity authorised by resource consent is monitored to ensure that the consent holder is complying with the conditions of that consent. The frequency and extent of that monitoring depends upon the size, scale and nature of discharge activity being monitored as well as the potential environmental impacts of the activity.
Over the last decade, there has been significant investment made by agriculture and industry in waste treatment and disposal systems and the overall level of compliance with consent conditions is high (generally around 95%). As a result, Taranaki rivers and streams show good to excellent water quality against most measures.
Riparian Management Programme
A major focus of the Taranaki Regional Council's land management work over the next ten years will be to continue to promote the retirement and planting of riparian margins along Taranaki rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands through the Riparian Management Programme.
The Riparian Management Programme, targets dairying land use on the ring plain, and includes the provision of a property planning service to land occupiers involving the preparation of riparian management plans and associated supply of low cost, high quality riparian plants.
Riparian management plans set out recommendations for the retirement or re-vegetation of land along the banks of rivers and streams. The retirement or revegetation of riparian margins forms an interface between the stream and land, preventing stock access, and decreases the amount of diffuse contaminants (in the form of animal excreta, sediment and fertiliser run-off) entering the stream and reducing water quality.
Not only does this have major benefits for fresh water quality, it also has benefits for coastal waters into which rivers and streams ultimately flow.
As at 30 June 2009, the Taranaki Regional Council had prepared 2,255 riparian management plans, covering 12,212 kilometres of streambank. Some 93% of Taranaki dairy farms now have a riparian plan for their property. The programme has grown exponentially over time particularly since the implementation of the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord - Regional Action Plan for Taranaki has begun to be implemented. There continues to be strong demand for the property planning service and most plan recommendations are being implemented progressively. The Council's target as set out in the Regional Action Plan is to have 90% of dairy farms covered by riparian plans by 2010 and to have 90% implemented by 2015.