Section 15 — Resource Management Act 1991: Discharge of contaminants into environment

15 Discharge of contaminants into environment (1) No person may discharge any— (a) Contaminant or water into water; or (b) Contaminant onto or into land in circumstances which may result in that contaminant (or any other contaminant emanating as a result of natural processes from that contaminant) entering water; or (c) Contaminant from any industrial or trade premises into air; or (d) Contaminant from any industrial or trade premises onto or into land— unless the discharge is expressly allowed by a rule in a regional plan and in any relevant proposed regional plan, a resource consent, or regulations. (2) No person may discharge any contaminant into the air, or into or onto land, from— (a) Any place; or (b) Any other source, whether moveable or not,—

in a manner that contravenes a rule in a regional plan or proposed regional plan unless the discharge is expressly allowed by a resource consent, or regulations, or allowed by section 20A (certain existing lawful activities allowed). (3) This section shall not apply to anything to which section 15A or section 15B applies. Subsection (1) was amended, as from 7 July 1993, by section 13 Resource Management Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 65) by substituting the words “ in a regional plan and in any relevant proposed regional plan ” for the words “ of a regional plan ” . Subsection (2) was amended, as from 17 December 1997, by section 5 Resource Management Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 104) by inserting the words “ , or regulations, ” . See section 78 of that Act as to the transitional provisions. Subsection (2) was amended, as from 1 August 2003, by section 95 Resource Management Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 23) by substituting the expression “ 20A ” for the expression “ 20 ” . See sections 109 to 113 of that Act as to the transitional and savings provisions. Subsection (3) was inserted, as from 20 August 1998, by section 5 Resource Management Amendment Act 1994 (1994 No 105). See clause 2 Resource Management Amendment Act 1994 Commencement Order 1998 (SR 1998/209).