Water quality in NZ worsening

The country's waterways are more polluted than they were five years ago despite efforts to improve quality, according to a new report out today.

The Forest & Bird and Fish & Game report said the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord had not only failed to improve water quality but some rivers and streams had worsened.   The two groups said the report showed the dairy industry had failed to meet its environmental responsibilities.
  
"Tougher standards and more effective enforcement are needed to improve water quality. And we need to have more input from New Zealand's environmental watchdogs,'' Fish & Game New Zealand Nelson-Marlborough regional manager Neil Deans said.
  
The accord was signed in May 2003 by Fonterra and the Government.
 
It aimed at improving the quality of lowland waterways by reducing the amount of dairy effluent and nutrients going into them.

Environment Waikato recently found water quality in rivers and streams in the region, which has half of the country's dairy farms, was deteriorating.

Bacteria in the water made the water unsuitable for stock to drink in 75 percent of the sites and levels were too high for people to swim safely at 70 percent of sites.

Forest & Bird and Fish & Game said they would like to see an independent review of the accord leading to stricter targets in improving water quality and more effective penalties for those failing to meet the target.

 - NZPA