Dairy farmers in the lower Waikato and west coast catchments will soon receive a letter from Waikato Regional Council about a variation to its regulations.
Variation six requires all dairy farmers to have resource consent from the council, if they plan to use more than 15 cubic metres of water per day for washing the dairy shed and for cooling milk.
Variation six manager Amy King said farmers in these lower catchments will need to make an application for resource consent before the end of March.
As a way of keeping costs down, the council is moving around the region and encouraging farmers in the same catchment to make their applications at the same time.
Ms King said the council is holding three meetings during the next three weeks to help farmers understand the process and fill in the necessary forms. The first is in Tuakau Memorial Hall on 28 February.
