Key points
High levels of nitrogen in our water can support nuisance growths of water plants and algal blooms (including slimes in rivers). Some of our highest quality water bodies, such as Lake Taupo, are very sensitive to inputs of nitrogen from the surrounding land. The amount of nitrogen leaching and runoff from developed land (non-point sources) in our region is closely related to the average stocking rate of dairy cows. The information on nitrogen loading in this indicator has been estimated from each area’s dairy cow stocking rate.
- Nitrogen loading is generally low in the less developed, upland areas of the region such as the area around Lake Taupo.
- In the more developed lowland parts of the region, nitrogen loading is often moderate to high.
- Intensive agriculture - both dairy farming and cropping - is the main source of increased nitrogen loading to the region’s water.
Source: Environment Waikato
What agencies are doing
- Environment Waikato provides clear management guidelines for discharging dairy farm effluent onto land.
- We support Care groups involved in riparian (stream bank) management such as planting and fencing.
- We provide environmental information including practical land management guidelines.
- Environment Waikato's Clean Streams project provides advice and financial support to encourage and support farmer efforts to reduce the impacts of farming on waterways through fencing and planting waterway margins.
- Environment Waikato has made changes to our Proposed Regional Plan to manage the amount of nitrogen getting into Lake Taupo from land use in the catchment. Some farming practices are now controlled or require consents and there are tighter controls for new urban development in the Taupo catchment.
- We support voluntary guidelines and codes of practice such as the NZ Fertiliser Manufacturers' Research Association’s Code of Practice for Fertiliser Use (code of practice).
What you can do to help
- Fence off streams, rivers, swamps, wetlands and seeps to prevent stock access.
- Plant banks of waterways to help stabilise the banks and trap nutrients.
- Follow our guidelines when applying dairy farm effluent to land.
- Make sure dairy shed effluent irrigators are operating effectively and are moved frequently to prevent ponding and runoff into waterways.
- Avoid break-feeding or mob-stocking close to waterways, especially in wet weather.
- Form a Care group with your neighbours to discuss and implement better land management practices to protect your local river and stream.
More information
More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.
What we want to achieve
The community outcomes we are seeking to achieve by monitoring nitrogen losses from land are:
- The iconic landscapes and natural features of our environment define and sustain us. We respect and celebrate them as taonga.
- Our natural environment is protected and respected. Its ecological balance is restored, its air, soil and water quality is improved and its native biodiversity is enhanced.
- The traditional role of iwi and hapu as kaitiaki is acknowledged, respected and enabled.
- Our region’s waterways have consistently high water quality.
- We use land management practices that protect and sustain our soil and land.