Creating clean drinking water for Cantabrians could be the hardest challenge Environment Canterbury faces in the coming years, as it sets out to meet the targets of its water management strategy.

The regional authority set a series of targets when it created the strategy in 2009.

They're broken down into ten categories.

Commissioner David Caygill has admitted several targets have begun falling by the wayside, and that includes the objective of lowering nitrate levels in groundwater.

"I doubt that we are on track in a sort of straight projection sense, to achieve that target at the moment."

In 25 years, the goal is for all groundwater wells to have nitrate levels below 50% of the maximum level allowed for drinking water.