Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan 10 March 2006 The requirement for resource consent will allow an assessment of the appropriateness of the proposed method of servicing each of the allotments and, where the proposal does not comply with minimum allotment sizes, whether each of the allotments is an appropriate size and configuration for effective on-site management of domestic wastewater. The methods also seek to improve the standard of subdivision servicing through the use of local guidelines. These guidelines will provide practitioners with certainty in terms of the procedures to be followed to investigate the suitability of land for the on-site management of domestic wastewater. The Council already monitors recreational waters for bacterial contamination on an annual basis. However, the sampling is restricted to beaches used for recreational purposes and although the results generally indicate the suitability of the monitored waters for contact recreation, they do not necessarily provide an indication of the impact of on-site discharges on coastal water quality. For this reason, the monitoring programme will be extended to include sampling of coastal waters adjacent to areas of established residential activity. Shellfish will also be sampled as, being filter feeders, bacteria tend to accumulate in the flesh (shellfish can therefore provide a better indicator of bacterial contamination than water samples). The Council has to consider the risk to the community of not providing wastewater services under the Local Government Act 2002. This may require investigations to be conducted to evaluate the current level of risk to community health as well as the surrounding environment. Where those risks are found to be significant, the construction and operation of community sewerage systems may need to be considered in order to ensure sustainable outcomes. The Council could also utilise other methods identified in this chapter, such as requiring systems to be upgraded or replaced. 14.6 Anticipated Environmental Results Implementation of the policies and methods for managing discharges to land will result in: • Surfacewater and groundwater quality improved in those areas where it is currently being adversely affected by the burial of solid waste; • The waste stream being reduced and poorly managed landfills closed. Waste from transfer stations carried to the engineered and appropriately managed site in Blenheim; • Soil contamination reduced and land ecosystems protected through the control of the burial of solid waste, discharge of treated and untreated liquid waste and agricultural effluent; • Amenity values being protected through the control of dumping of solid waste; • The reuse of valuable resources being encouraged and the waste stream being reduced; 14 - 22