Discharge to land standard
The standard sets wastewater treatment requirements based on the suitability of the receiving environment.
Discharge to land implementation materials
Download the full discharge to land guidance document.The guidance on the discharge to land standard below should be read alongside the full "Discharge from wastewater treatment plants to land" standard in the Water Services (Wastewater Environmental Performance Standards) Regulations 2025.
View the full standard on the New Zealand Legislation websiteoutbound
The discharge to land standard provides a framework to check if land is suitable for receiving treated wastewater and then sets discharge limits based on the specific risks at that site.
The most important contaminants for discharges to land – Total Phosphorus, Total Nitrogen and E. coli – are covered by the standard.
The standard has a few defined steps to follow.
- Assess the risks and site characteristic to classify the site.
- Check the contaminant limits and what monitoring and reporting is needed.
- Include and implement the requirements in the resource consent conditions.
The guidance material covers:
- Information on applicability of the discharge to land standard, including what exceptions apply.
- An overview of processes to carry out site-specific assessments to determine land suitability, considering factors such as soil type, drainage, slope, groundwater and land use.
- How to accurately assign a relevant land class and apply appropriate discharge limits for Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus and pathogens (e.g. E. coli).
Guidance on assessing compliance with the requirements of the standard, including implementing requirements for monitoring and reporting, developing an operations and maintenance manual and developing a management plan.