Wairau/ Awatere Resource Management Plan is real potential for contamination of surface water and groundwater, and frequently of the aquifers which supply community or individual household drinking water. Clearly there are both health and environmental risks associated with this situation. The policies requiring higher standards of treatment and research into mitigating the effects of human effluent disposal are incorporated to address these significant problems. The district’s landfills represent significant quantities of contaminants being discharged to land. Rationalisation of the landfills to one fully engineered site will greatly reduce the volume of contaminants (in leachate form) discharged to land. In the engineered landfill, leachate will be reduced through improved stormwater interception and will be controlled through the use of liners. Comprehensive monitoring will be required to ensure that any effects arising from the site are identified. Closed landfills will require remediation and monitoring to ensure that the continued effects of decomposing waste are being avoided, remedied or mitigated. 15.4 Methods of Implementation Rules Rules will be used to require discharge to land activities to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects. Activity classifications will be used to distinguish between activities with minor and more significant adverse effects. Activities with minor adverse effects will be permitted. Discharge to land standards will be developed and used as part of the rules. Compliance with these standards will enable most activities to proceed as Permitted or Controlled Activities. Separation distances, application rates, and application areas will be incorporated within the rules to avoid, remedy or mitigate the effects of contaminants being discharged to land. Education About the effects of contaminants being discharged to land, particularly the effects of the discharge of hazardous and toxic contaminants and the effects of discharge over the unconfined aquifer. Education programmes will include practical information on how to reduce adverse effects, particularly on water quality and amenity values. One of the priority activities to be addressed in this community education programme will be the effect of discharges from on-site effluent treatment systems. About the benefits of riparian management. Guidelines Provide information on appropriate land uses and encourage use of voluntary guidelines and best practices. Incentives To provide incentives to landowners to improve riparian management in areas where water quality requires enhancement. Monitoring Undertake monitoring to identify the actual effects of non-point source discharges on surface water quality for those water bodies where water quality requires enhancement or water bodies with very high value. Use self-monitoring of discharges requiring consents to educate users about the effects of their activities. 15 - 4