Targets sets for rivers and lakes
Environment Southland has set a target to have 65.7 per cent of Southland’s rivers and 98 per cent of lakes swimmable by 2030.
By 2040 it wants 80 per cent of rivers and 98 per cent of the province’s lakes to be swimmable.
Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said the final targets were a commitment by the council to continue improving the quality of Southland’s waterways.
‘‘Our recent conversations with the community about their favourite places to swim reinforced how important it is for people to have access to safe swimming spots.’’
The targets have been slammed by Southland Fish and Game manager Zane Moss, who called them ‘‘woeful.’’
‘‘The 2010 Water Plan has an objective to improve water quality by 10 per cent by 2020, but instead water quality has got significantly worse. ‘‘To now look to improve water for swimming by only 3.7 per cent over the next decade is frankly woeful.
‘‘So many of us grew up swinging from a willow tree over our local river that it’s no wonder we’re so passionate about water quality.
‘‘Southlanders expect to be able to go down for a swim over summer and Environment Southland should be fighting to preserve that Kiwi birth right.’’
Information released by the Ministry for the Environment showed that currently 62 per cent of Southland rivers and 98 per cent of lakes are swimmable, Environment Southland said.
Councillors set the new targets, which are a requirement of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2017, at a council meeting last week. In March, the council notified swimmability targets of 65.7 per cent of rivers and 98 per cent of lakes based on modelling that had been done of existing work and action being taken on the ground.
Regional councils are required to identify and develop targets for increasing the number of rivers and lakes that are suitable for swimming, with an overall national goal of 80 per cent of lakes and rivers swimmable by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2040.