Farm wastewater monitoring programme

The farm monitoring programme aims to ensure farm wastewater disposal is carried out in a manner that complies with regional rules and relevant resource consents. 

In Northland there are approximately:

  • 190 active permitted activity farms – must comply with regional rules
  • 600 active consented farms – must comply with conditions of resource consent and permitted activity rules.

The farm wastewater monitoring programme:

  • Dairy farms are monitored every year during the period of peak loadings.
  • All compliance visits are non-notified - the farm owners are not informed when our inspectors are due to visit.
  • Vehicles are clearly marked with council logos.
  • Where possible, monitoring officers advise farm staff they are present on farm, alternatively a visit note will be left at the dairy.
  • A 'whole of farm' approach is taken. This includes inspection of feed/stand-off pads, stock underpasses, silage storage areas and dead stock disposal.
  • A site information form (SIF) containing specific GPS coordinates and an aerial map are used to specify the location of treatment systems and sampling sites.
  • Where there is a discharge to water, samples are taken and tested.

Water quality samples

When a discharge to water is identified, water quality samples are taken from the following points:

  1. Upstream of the discharge.
  2. At the 'Point of Discharge' – to the waterway.
  3. Downstream of the discharge.

Samples are tested for:

  • Acidity, that is, pH;
  • Temperature;
  • Dissolved oxygen (DO);
  • Faecal coliforms (FC); and
  • Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4).

Any adverse effects are then assessed by comparing water quality upstream of the discharge with that downstream of the discharge.

From the routine monitoring inspections, wastewater systems are assessed as either:

  • Full Compliance (FC);
  • Non-compliance (NC); or
  • Significantly non-compliance (SNC).

Written monitoring reports, including the water quality test results are then provided to the farm owner (or consent holder) by mail.

Download an example of a water quality test results sheet (PDF, 31KB)

Follow-up visits

On-farm 'follow-up' visits may be made to Moderately non-compliant and are made to all Significantly non-compliant farms.

The objective of the visit is to:

  • Identify cause/s of moderate and significant non-compliance;
  • Discuss options for improvement; and
  • Agree on a plan of action and timeframes for implementation.

A report detailing the visit and agreed actions is then sent to the farm owner (or consent holder).

Taking water quality samples.