15. Resource Quality (Water, Air, Soil) Volume One [R] 15.M.42 Codes of practice and industry guidelines Advocate to rural industry groups that they, locally or nationally, prepare and/or adopt codes of practice or other guidelines, where not already in place, aimed at reducing the effects of rural land uses on soil quality. This could include the Code of Practice for Nutrient Management developed by the New Zealand Fertiliser Manufacturers' Research Association. [R] 15.M.43 Reserve management plans The Council will continue to manage farming and other activities on the Wither Hills Soil Conservation Reserve through a management plan prepared under the Reserves Act 1977. This plan clearly sets out soil conservation objectives that influence the nature of any lease to use the land for farming purposes through lease conditions. [R] 15.M.44 Works The Council will continue to maintain soil conservation works within the Wither Hills Soil Conservation Reserve, in accordance with Rivers and Land Drainage Asset Management Plan. [R] 15.M.45 Monitoring Continue to undertake a regional monitoring programme to gather information on soil quality variables. This will enable the Council to identify the effects of land use activities and practices on soil quality. The monitoring programme is designed to ensure that information is gathered from representative soil types across Marlborough and reflects the nature and intensity of the predominant land uses. The programme includes soil intactness monitoring to establish the extent of accelerated soil erosion. The results will help the Council to identify those soils most vulnerable to degradation and allow the application of the above methods to be prioritised. Undertake monitoring of the effect of specific land disturbance activities and land use changes on the soil resource. This can be implemented through monitoring required as a condition of resource consent or through state of the environment monitoring. Monitoring the effects of forest harvest activities in the coastal environment of the Marlborough Sounds is a priority. Issue 15G – The use, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous substances creates the potential for the contamination of soil if the hazardous substances are released into the environment. Hazardous substances are a part of our everyday lives. Activities that use, store or transport hazardous substances include: • manufacturing or processing industries (e.g. timber treatment, dry cleaning, spray painting, engineering, boat building and repair); • rural industries (e.g. pest control); • domestic activities (e.g. household cleaning, house construction, maintenance and repair); and • transport related activities (e.g. storage, handling and movement of hazardous substances). Common examples of hazardous substances are: petroleum products, such as petrol, diesel, LPG, oils and solvents; household chemicals such as bleaches, pesticides, paints, adhesives and fuels; and chemical products such as acids, alkalis, pesticides and herbicides. 15 – 42