The Environment Court ruling on Waikato Regional Council's Variation 6 to the Regional Plan will mean many farmers in the region will be thinking about their water use.

Dairy farms will generally be allowed to take 15 cubic metres of water a day per certificate of title for dairy shed water, but takes above this will require a resource consent.

Resource consent conditions for both surface and ground water takes mean you will need to build a case around water-use efficiency to have a consent granted.

You'll want to show council the process you've gone through to assess your water use efficiency and any proposals to reduce your water take to meet your needs.

You'll also need adequate metering and data collection infrastructure for your take.

The Smart Water Use programme has been put together by farmers and has resources and practical information to help conserve water. It covers off these two key areas above to help you build a case for your take.

Meet resource consents

Here are three simple things you can do to help meet resource consent conditions:

(1) Set up an alert system; an alert system can let you know water is running when it shouldn't be – from a leaking line or overflowing trough. All farms are different, so you'll need to decide what works best for you. Here are some proven options:

• A pilot light or an LED spotlight on a pump that sends water from storage out onto the farm can serve as a visual alert. If the pump is running for an extended time when it shouldn't be, you can turn it off and go look for the cause.

• A pressure gauge on the line supplying water out to paddocks registering lower than normal is a good sign water is being lost somewhere in the system. You can also get hold of a water flow indicator. Talk to your water supply specialist about these inexpensive, easy-to-install items.

(2) Track your water use; the Smart Water Use resources include a ‘tracking water use' form. You can use it to manually record your use. You can also include comments that may be useful in identifying any out of the ordinary water use (e.g. weather conditions, leaks discovered). For on-site storage, something like the Prosol wireless tank level monitor can be useful. It transmits up to 200m to a receiver plugged into a standard electrical outlet. For tanks in remote locations, there is a feature allowing you to dial into a website to check tank levels. For more information visit www.prosol.co.nz

(3) Look for efficiencies; there's a Smart Water Use assessment workbook that you can use to identify opportunities for improvement around your farm. Once you've found ways to make your water go further put them in your Smart Water Use action plan. You may find a small change can have a huge effect on your water use.

Cleaning yards

When it comes to cleaning the yard, pre-wetting it before milking on sunny days will help prevent dung from drying out and hardening. A scraper or squeegee can be used to scrape effluent off the yard prior to hosing. A scrapper attachment on the four wheeler can do the same thing. Alternatively, a rubber scrapper or chain run through an old yard hose on the bottom of the backing gate will help smear and break up pats.

Any one of these actions prior to hosing can cut water use and wash-down time by as much as 50 per cent.

Reusing green water from the settled pond for yard wash-down brings further savings. But there are food safety regulations involved here, so be sure to get the details from your supply company if you're taking this step.

Finally, DairyNZ is planning a series of Smart Water Use sessions for dairy farmers in the Bay of Plenty in February and is planning to run events in the Waikato. Keep a look out for dates, venues and times at www.dairynz.co.nz/smartwateruse