Environment Canterbury Drainage Districts

Responsibilities of Environment Canterbury

Environment Canterbury is responsible for the maintenance of particular drains within its Drainage Rating Districts and recovers the cost of the maintenance work by way of a targeted rate levy on properties in the district.

If you are unsure who is responsible for a particular drain, please contact Environment Canterbury.

Environment Canterbury tries to make contact with landowners prior to entering a property; however, this is not always possible and you may see drain maintenance work being undertaken on your property. If it is imperative for us to make contact with you prior to undertaking maintenance work in the future, please contact our depot supervisor so that we can record your contact details. See the bottom of the page for contact details.

Please contact the depot supervisor if there is specific maintenance work that you think needs to be undertaken.

Prevention is always better than cure, so the best strategy is to manage drains to reduce the need for maintenance, which helps to keep your rates down.

Responsibilities of the landowner

Access

Environment Canterbury needs access beside the drains it maintains. This includes gates in boundary and internal fences and in fence lines beside drains, ensuring fences are an appropriate distance from the drain; and that trees, hedges, and other vegetation do not impede access or the ability of people or machinery to enter the drain.

Landowners may not fence, plant trees, or erect structures within 7.5 m of a watercourse without Environment Canterbury's permission. This preserves access for drain maintenance.

Diagram of how to provide access for maintenance.

Provide good access ways between your fences and drains.

Vehicles using this access way include:

• light vehicles
• tractors
• dragline or excavators
• spray trucks or tip trucks.

Good maintenance practices

Prevention is always better than cure, so the best strategy is to manage drains to reduce the need for maintenance, which helps to keep your rates down.

Good management practices to reduce the need for drain maintenance include:

• Reduce stock damage to drains. This is best achieved by fencing drains.
• Where permanent fencing isn't practical, use a single electric wire to stop cattle from crossing.
• Ensure good access to drains so they're easy to get to for clearing. This includes putting in gateways in drain fences.
• If you would like to undertake planting, you will need to contact the local depot supervisor to ensure this is appropriate on your drain. Funding and grants may be available for planting.

Shading the water's edge means reduce weeds entering the drain.

An example of a clean, spring fed drain.

Culverts/bridges

A resource consent is a prerequisite for the installation of a culvert or bridge across an Environment Canterbury maintained drain. The structure owner is responsible for ensuring that the structure is maintained at all times so that it does not restrict the flow or cause scour to the bed or banks of the drain.

Stock

Stock can cause damage to drains and may significantly reduce the effectiveness of the scheme by causing bank instability and drain siltation. This reduces drain capacity and increases maintenance costs. The landowner is responsible for ensuring drains are not damaged by stock. Environment Canterbury has a policy of recovering the costs of repair of damage caused to drains by inadequate stock control or other causes. Due to animal health and other reasons, keeping stock out of drains can increase farm productivity.

All large animals cause waterway damage.

Trough water is the best option.

Stockwater

If it is not possible to install troughs, consider limiting the access for stock drinking.

When choosing the access points, avoid the outside of the bend because the water flows fast and the bank is prone to erosion. Banks on the inside of bends are less erosion-prone and usually shallower. Avoid positioning access points on steep banks.

At access points, try setting fences so stock can reach their heads under the fence to drink, but can't get their hooves in the water. Gravel the area that the stock will be standing on.

Note: This is not advised for large numbers of animals.

Case study: Drain gets a facelift

Hinds sharemilker Ben Stock.

Hinds sharemilker Ben Stock says a desire to "do the right thing" was a key motivator behind his decision to fence off and enhance plantings along a spring fed drain in mid Canterbury.

"The drain was really ugly and full of weeds. We were spending $1000 a year cleaning it out and I felt that if riparian zones do what they're supposed to do, like creating a nice flowing stream, I would be able to reduce what I spend and help the environment."

The fences and plantings are positioned to enable the digger to reach over and clear the drain. Larger species were planted in groups so the digger could easily work between them. In time, when the plantings have established, drain cleaning should be reduced.

There are many grants and funding opportunities available for riparian management. 

Contact Environment Canterbury for advice on how to apply.

Contact details

For drain maintenance matters, contact your local depot supervisor:

Kaikoura Depot Supervisor
Peter Adams 03 319 5781
(Kaikoura Drainage District)

Tai Tapu Depot Supervisor
Mike Hyett 03 329 6818
(Halswell Drainage District, Prices Valley Rating District)

Ashburton Depot Supervisor
David Maharey 03 308 7682
(Ashburton Hinds Drainage District, Buttericks Road Drain, Chertsey Road Drain, Greenstreet Creek Rating District, Staveley Stormwater Channel Rating District, Mt Harding Creek)

Temuka Depot Supervisor
Paul Eddy 03 615 7141
(Seadown Road Drain, Seadown Drainage District, Wainono Drainage District, Kapua Drain, Clandeboye Drains)

For all other matters, including resource consents, contact Customer Services.