Mr Payne said as part of the submission process the council was working with industry and sector organisations to jointly identify areas of the plan which could be improved.
"No plan is perfect when it's first notified, so through the submission process we want to achieve a plan that is workable for all landowners and delivers on the water quality goals we all aspire to," Mr Payne said.
Key components of the proposed plan that landowners need to be more responsive to currently include:
• Registration for all properties in the Waikato and Waipa river catchments over two hectares by March 31, 2019. This will affect many small block holders, lifestyle property owners or even equine businesses who still may not be aware of what's proposed.
• Provision of a nitrogen reference point (NRP) by March 31, 2019. This will affect most properties over 20ha and commercial vegetable growers. If landowners keep good records now the cost of preparing this information could be reduced.
• Creation of a farm environment plan (FEP). This will affect most properties farming over 20ha. FEPss are tailored to identify and manage the four key contaminants - nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and bacteria - on your property, setting out specific timeframes for work to be done. Under the proposed plan the first FEPs will be due by July 1, 2020.
Landowners can start thinking about work on their property now by using the Farm Menus. See www.farmmenus.org.nz.
Mr Payne said through the annual plan and long term plan process the council was preparing to make landowners' jobs easier. The council is investing $2.74 million over the next 12 months to:
• Working with industry and sectors to help landowners understand FEP requirements;
• Approval, certification and audit systems for industry schemes and rural professionals;
• Preparing to process and monitor resource consent applications;
• Building IT systems to support landowners to lodge their registration, NRPs, and FEPs;
• Developing environmental monitoring and reporting tools to track our progress.