Environment Canterbury is responsible for managing the discharge of contaminants to the environment and the investigation of land for the purposes of identifying and monitoring contaminated land (under the Resource Management Act 1991). Environment Canterbury contributes to preventing and mitigating any adverse effects of waste and specific hazardous substances (under the Resource Management Act 1991). As a regional council it also has the ability to enforce the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO).