Activity Group: Environmental Management Activity: Environmental Science and Monitoring • allow Council to assess the effectiveness of the policies and methods contained in the Proposed MEP and other planning documents, and the How this Activity Contributes to the Vision and Related Council’s implementation of the RMA, National Policy Statements and Community Outcomes National Environmental Standards This Activity helps to achieve the Vision by ensuring the natural environment is • support the sustainable use and allocation of our natural resources. healthy. It also contributes to the Community Outcomes of Governance, Environment, Economy, People and Living as outlined below. This Activity is also responsible for implementing a number of non-regulatory resource management methods and programmes to promote the sustainable Outcome Actions management of our natural and physical resources. This includes education, Environment Monitoring the state and condition of our natural resources, advocacy and support for flood and other environmental emergency responses. investigating environmental issues, helping to create solutions and implementing programmes to protect our resources (fresh water, land, Emphasis has been placed on the monitoring and development of sustainable coast and air). programmes associated with fresh water resources and this is expected to Economy Helping with the allocation and informed use of resources to enable continue. This reflects the value of water to the community and its overall productivity within set environmental bottom lines. vulnerability to overuse and contamination. People Helping the community and resource users to better understand our There are important resource management programmes associated with natural resources through participative processes, and the provision gathering a range of information and measuring the health and integrity of our of environmental information. marine habitats and ecosystems, air quality, land resources and the protection of Living Providing assurance that our natural resources and special places are biodiversity. Council also has a responsibility for maintaining a property based list protected and in a condition suitable to maintain our lifestyle and of historical land use activities that potentially pose a soil contamination risk. (This general well-being, for example recreation and food gathering from is called a Hazardous Activity and Industries List, or HAIL.) our rivers and coastal waters. Governance Understanding environmental issues and the condition of our natural Asset Description resources to enable strategic and transparent decision making. Council operates 91 automated real time monitoring stations that measure a number of environmental parameters to support a range of resource management What is this Activity About? programmes and emergency responses. The Activity involves establishing and maintaining an efficient environmental Environmental parameters Number of parameters resource information base to allow Council to properly discharge its resource (automated) monitored management functions and to provide advice to the community on environmental Rainfall 28 resources and on issues affecting the resources of the District. The Activity Surface Water Level 33 includes the investigation, monitoring and analysis of the District’s natural and River Flow 26 physical resources (eg land, air, fresh water and coast). Groundwater Level 34 The monitoring of natural and physical resources is carried out to: Groundwater Temperature 11 Groundwater Conductivity 7 • obtain information about the condition of the environment and raise Air Quality (PM10) awareness of environment issues 2 assist in identifying areas where there is a need to improve the quality of River Water Quality 3 • the environment and enable Council to support a range of methods that can Total 143 be applied to address specific issues 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 114