Type and Frequency of Monitoring

Decide on the type and frequency of monitoring in relation to the potential environmental effects and the scale of the activity. The level of monitoring needed will depend upon effects and scale.
One-off monitoring might be all that is required for activities with minor effects or effects that are limited to the time of construction.

Regular inspections might be appropriate for conditions of an ongoing nature, for example the disposal of dairy effluent.

Consider tailor-made, site-specific monitoring programmes for large activities or those with the potential to generate significant adverse effects (eg, site visits, audits or checks of company complaints registers). This type of monitoring should be discussed with the applicant and submitters as an integral part of the consent decision-making process.

Consider performance-based monitoring to ensure environmental standards are met. This may be able to be undertaken by the applicant and, if compliance and environmental results are consistently good, then less frequent monitoring/site visits may be appropriate.

Consents database and GIS systems can help to plan and implement consent monitoring at the most appropriate time.