Drinking Water

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Drinking Water Targets

Find out what the Canterbury Water targets are for drinking water.

	From 2010	By 2015	By 2020	By 2040
DRINKING WATER	For communities that currently have access to untreated and safe drinking water, implement actions to ensure source water quality remains high enough to meet current New Zealand Drinking Water Standards without treatment. Prevent further decline in source water quality for communities that currently have to treat drinking water, such that this requires increased level of treatment or monitoring requirements.		An increase in the percentage of the population supplied with water that meets New Zealand Drinking Water Standards.	Nitrate levels in community drinking wells are below the maximum allowable value for drinking water.
CONTAMINANT RISKS	No new activities in drinking water catchments that reduce access to sufficient drinking water supplies.	Understand emerging contaminant risks and target at risk areas with a remedial programme.	Understand emerging contaminant risks and target at risk areas with a remedial programme.	Understand emerging contaminant risks and target at risk areas with a remedial programme.
NITRATE LOADS		Set catchment load limits for nitrates consistent with drinking water quality targets for each zone. Identify priority areas where targets are not met. Implement actions to ensure no further enrichment. Demonstrate and include in implementation programmes how land will be managed to achieve catchment load limits within each zone.	Achieve nutrient efficiency targets on all new irrigated land and 80% of other land in major rural land uses, and 100% of rural properties working towards these targets (including properties within urban boundaries that apply nutrients over significant areas). Achieve a demonstrable decrease in nitrate concentrations in shallow groundwater in priority areas.	Average annual nitrate levels in all groundwater wells are below 50% of maximum allowable value for drinking water. Achieve nutrient efficiency targets on all new irrigated land and 100% of other rural properties (and properties within urban boundaries that apply nutrients over significant areas).