Farmers grazing cattle with access to Council’s stockwater races are being reminded they need to provide compliant drinking bays to ensure that animals cannot stand in the water race while they drink.

Council staff are monitoring the stockwater network over the winter grazing season, looking for races not fenced off and signs that animals have been standing in the water to drink.

Acting Chief Executive Jane Donaldson said farmers grazing stock were obliged to keep animals, especially cattle, deer, and pigs, out of stockwater races.

“They must follow rules set out in ADC’s Water Race Bylaw, ECan’s Land and Water Regional Plan and their own Farm Environment Plans to exclude stock from being able to enter a water body.

“Water races need to be fenced off and drinking bays provided, and these bays must have a solid edge to stop stock from breaking down the side of the race and standing in the water.

“Water races can easily be polluted by stock standing in them and this makes the water unsafe for other stock further down the race to drink.”

She said Council staff were proactively checking stockwater races and were able to go on to private property to ensure a race was functioning properly.

“Obviously we’d prefer to help people change their ways and do the right thing, rather than prosecute someone for polluting the water way, but enforcement action remains an option.”