15Discharge of contaminants into environment

1. No person may discharge any—

2. contaminant or water into water; or
3. 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
4. contaminant from any industrial or trade premises into air; or
5. contaminant from any industrial or trade premises onto or into land—

6. unless the discharge is expressly allowed by a national environmental standard or other regulations, a wastewater environmental performance standard, a stormwater environmental performance standard, an infrastructure design solution, a rule in a regional plan as well as a rule in a proposed regional plan for the same region (if there is one), or a resource consent.

7. No person may discharge a contaminant into the air, or into or onto land, from a place or any other source, whether moveable or not, in a manner that contravenes a national environmental standard, a wastewater environmental performance standard, a stormwater environmental performance standard, or an infrastructure design solution unless the discharge—

8. is expressly allowed by other regulations; or
9. is expressly allowed by a resource consent; or
10. is an activity allowed by section 20A.

11. No person may discharge a contaminant into the air, or into or onto land, from a place or any other source, whether moveable or not, in a manner that contravenes a regional rule unless the discharge—

12. is expressly allowed by a national environmental standard or other regulations; or
13. is expressly allowed by a wastewater environmental performance standard, a stormwater environmental performance standard, or an infrastructure design solution; or
14. is expressly allowed by a resource consent; or
15. is an activity allowed by section 20A.

16. This section shall not apply to anything to which section 15A or section 15B applies.