$2b bill to clean lakes and rivers

The Government has announced a new target to have 90 per cent of New Zealand’s lakes and rivers reach swimmable water quality standards by 2040.

The target will be based on meeting the water quality standard at least 80 per cent of the time in line with European and United States definition, Environment Minister Nick Smith said.

Currently 72 per cent by length meet that definition and the target is to increase that to 90 per cent by 2040.

That will mean an extra 10,000 km of swimmable lakes and rivers – or 400km extra each year.

In a key move the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management will be changed to replace ‘‘wadeable’’ with ‘‘swimmable’’.

Other changes included clarifying the consideration of economic opportunities and requiring limits for nitrogen and phosphorus.

‘‘This ambitious plan to improve the water quality in our lakes and rivers recognises that New Zealanders expect to be able to take a dip in their local river or lake without getting a nasty bug,’’ Smith said.

The plan was backed up by national regulations requiring stock to be fenced out of waterways, new national policy requirements on regional councils to strengthen their plan rules on issues such as sewage discharges and planting riparian margins, a new Freshwater Improvement Fund and new maps that clearly identify where improvements are needed.

‘‘This 90 per cent goal by 2040 is challenging and is estimated to cost the Government, farmers and councils $2 billion over the next 23 years.

‘‘It will make us a world leader in water quality standards for swimming, and that’s important for New Zealand’s growing tourism industry. It will return our rivers and lakes to a standard not seen in 50 years while recognising that our frequent major rainfalls mean a 100 per cent standard is not realistic,’’ Smith said.

The target covers the length of rivers over 0.4m deep and the perimeters of lakes greater than 1.5km, which total 54,000km.

‘‘Some regional targets will need to be greater than the 90 per cent and others, where it is more difficult to achieve, will be less.

‘‘The plan was about improving the frequency that we can swim in our lakes and rivers, noting that even our cleanest rivers breach swimming water quality standards during storms,’’ Smith said.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said: ‘‘Overseas markets and consumers increasingly demand a strong environmental performance over and above regulatory requirements. In this context, protecting New Zealand’s natural advantage has never been more important.’’

But Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty said the standards had simply been re-labelled.

‘‘The prime minister thinks he can pull a fast one on New Zealanders by just shifting the goalposts and calling what was ‘wadeable’ now ‘swimmable’,’’ she said.

‘‘New Zealanders asked for rivers clean enough to swim in, not a re-branded version of ‘dirty’.’’

The announcement would not stop the pollution of rivers from dirty dairying, or the damaging effects of irrigation.

‘‘By saying that a river with a grade of ‘excellent’ can be so polluted that one person in 20 gets sick from a waterborne disease, Bill English is deceiving our kids and grandkids, who are missing out on clean rivers,’’ Delahunty said.

The policy has also been condemned by environment groups.

‘‘Despite an explicit assurance from Minister Smith that the new water standards would provide for human and ecosystem health, he has failed to deliver on either of these things,’’ said Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague.

‘‘In fact, they’ve gone further and reduced swimmability standards. Until now, the standard for our cleanest rivers allowed a one in 100 chance of getting sick. Now, the proposal is that you will have a one in 20 chance of getting sick – and that’s their top standard.’’ – Fairfax NZ