Managing farm dairy and effluent discharges
When farm dairies and milking yards are washed down during the milking season, a large amount of wastewater is generated and requires appropriate disposal
- The activity with of greatest concern to the ARC is the discharge of effluent from farm dairies.
- When farm dairies and milking yards are washed down during the milking season, a large amount of wastewater is generated and requires appropriate disposal.
Managing effluent disposal
- The principle means of managing point-source discharges of effluent is through the council's Regional Plan - Farm Dairy Discharges.
- The ARC aslo encourages good practice in the management and disposal of effluent through the provision of education and guidelines.
- In some instances, the ARC has also taken enforcement action in cases of serious non-compliance with the Resource Management Act.
- The Regional Plan - Farm Diary Discharges became operational in 1999. The Plan encourages the return of farm dairy washwater back onto the land by means of a Permitted Activity Rule. Otherwise the disposal of washwater to any surface water body such as a stream is a 'controlled' or 'discretionary' activity and requires a Resource Consent.
- The implementation of the Regional Plan has been staged over time, working from the north of the Auckland region through to the south. Currently all dairy farms in the region have either a permitted activity or resource consent.
Waste from production land activities
- Many rural land use practices produce wate, these include greenhouse nutrient solution, poultry waste, piggery effluent, winery waste and vegetable processing waste.
- These activities are covered under the proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air Land and Water (ALW) under the Resource Management Act.
- Many agricultural waste materials contain nutrients that have a fertiliser value, and applying these wastes to land is a common and beneficial practice in rural areas.
- Controls of wastes from production land activities are based on the underlying soils, minimisation of nutrient leaching and adequate contingency plans. Low volumes are provided for as a Permitted Activity, while higher volumes require a Resource Consent.
- Please refer to the Air Land and Water (Section 5 - Discharges to Land and Water) for specific conditions which apply to various rural activities mentioned above.
