✨ Freshwater Management Policy
A. WATER QUALITY
Objective A1
To safeguard:
a. the life-supporting capacity, ecosystem processes and indigenous species including their associated ecosystems, of fresh water; and
b. the health of people and communities, at least as affected by secondary contact with fresh water;
in sustainably managing the use and development of land, and of discharges of contaminants.
Objective A2
The overall quality of fresh water within a region is maintained or improved while:
a. protecting the significant values of outstanding freshwater bodies;
b. protecting the significant values of wetlands; and
c. improving the quality of fresh water in water bodies that have been degraded by human activities to the point of being over-allocated.
Policy A1
By every regional council making or changing regional plans to the extent needed to ensure the plans:
a. establish freshwater objectives in accordance with Policies CA1-CA4 and set freshwater quality limits for all freshwater management units in their regions to give effect to the objectives in this national policy statement, having regard to at least the following:
i. the reasonably foreseeable impacts of climate change;
ii. the connection between water bodies; and
iii. the connections between freshwater bodies and coastal water; and
b. establish methods (including rules) to avoid over-allocation.
Policy A2
Where freshwater management units do not meet the freshwater objectives made pursuant to Policy A1, every regional council is to specify targets and implement methods (either or both regulatory and non-regulatory), in a way that considers the sources of relevant contaminants recorded under Policy CC1, to assist the improvement of water quality in the freshwater management units, to meet those targets, and within a defined timeframe.
Policy A3
By regional councils:
a. imposing conditions on discharge permits to ensure the limits and targets specified pursuant to Policy A1 and Policy A2 can be met; and
b. where permissible, making rules requiring the adoption of the best practicable option to prevent or minimise any actual or likely adverse effect on the environment of any discharge of a contaminant into fresh water, or onto or into land in circumstances that may result in that contaminant (or, as a result of any natural process from the discharge of that contaminant, any other contaminant) entering fresh water.
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NZ Gazette 2014, No 71
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014
(continued from previous page)
🏛️ Governance & Central AdministrationEnvironmental Policy, Freshwater Management, Water Quality, Resource Management, Regional Councils