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Resource Consents

Annual Volume Tool

Glossary |  Caclulator Instructions | Natural Resources Regional Plan

What is the Annual Volume Calculator?

The Annual VolumeAnnual volume is the total amount of water authorised via a water permit over a one year period. For irrigation permits this is determined as being the volume required during an irrigation season, calculated according to Schedule WQN9 version 3. calculator is an Excel spreadsheet which is intended to enable you to calculate an annual volume for a specific area of irrigated land. The calculator is based on a revised version of Schedule WQN9 Schedule WQN9 sets out the way in which a seasonal irrigation demand standard is to be determined. A modification to this schedule, commonly known as WQN9 version 3, has been recommended to the NRRP Hearing Committee in response to submissions on the Plan. This is the version currently in use for calculating annual volumes. of the proposed Natural Resources Regional Plan (NRRP).

To use the calculator you will need some specific technical information about your actual or intended irrigated area.

A definition of technical terms used can be seen by hovering the cursor over the term or clicking on it to visit the glossary page.  


How do I use the calculator?

Whether you already have an existing consent for the area or your interest is in applying for a new consent, the valuation or legal description for all relevant land parcels will be helpful. Alternatively, you can search by entering the name of an adjacent road.

If you want to calculate the annual volume for more than one consent or if land parcels are geographically separate, you will have to run a separate calculation for each consent/land parcel.

Go to icon You will need the following information from your pumping schedule:

To find this information:

  • Check the consent details sent to you from Environment Canterbury, or
  • Find consent information online

The instructions on the use of the spreadsheet show how to determine the maximum volume if it is not explicitly stated in an existing consent.



Go to icon You will also need to know: 

To find this information:

Information on Profile Available Water(PAW) reflects the soil’s capacity to hold water assessed for the soil profile to a depth of 0.9 metres and expressed as millimetres of water. and Effective irrigation season rainfall Effective Irrigation Season Rainfall is the amount of rain that will contribute to crop growth over the nominal irrigation season. In determining this amount, provision has been made for rainfall that occurs in four out of five years, and excluding daily rainfall amounts of less than 5 mm, or cumulative rainfall amounts in consecutive days in excess of 50 mm. can be obtained using our Online GIS mapping tool.

  • Visit our online GIS mapping tool (opens in a new window)
  • Use the GIS mapping instructions to find information on Profile Available Water and Effective Irrigation Season Rain (opens in a new window)


Go to icon To make this calculator work:

Your computer will need to have a version of MS Excel 97 or later for the calculator to function. If you do not have this, you may still be able to use the Online GIS mapping tool to get some useful information, but not an annual volume.  You will need to contact Environment Canterbury customer services for help.

Go to icon Getting started:

  1. Open the Calculator (opens in a new window). From here you can download the Calculator to your computer and save it if you wish.

    You can also print out the Calculator spreadsheet at any time by clicking on the File menu from the top left of your browser window and selecting Print.  This will prompt you to print the spreadsheet (including the data you have entered) to your computer printer.

  2. Open the Calculator instructions (opens in a new window). These will advise you how to use the calculator and GIS to extract your annual volume.

  3. Check the consent details sent to you from Environment Canterbury, or Find consent information online (opens in a new window)

  4. Open our online GIS mapping tool (opens in a new window)

Please note, you will need to keep the consent details near and also have the GIS mapping tool and instructions open while you use the calculator.


 

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