The Hurunui-Waiau zone committee is considering a number of Immediate Steps biodiversity projects for the coming year and is working to develop a position on water management and possible storage options for its zone.
The committee held its second meeting on Monday 16 August which included a briefing from Environment Canterbury Commissioner Peter Skelton.
The committee has around $100,000 in Immediate Steps funding and has begun considering a number of projects for funding this year. Over the coming month the committee will continue to talk with landowners. It will also assess each proposed project to ensure they align with the priorities and targets of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.
In addition the committee agreed a five-year programme of the broad areas for its Immediate Steps work. Stakeholders and landowners will be consulted early next year to identify priority projects for funding in 2011-12.
Commissioner Peter Skelton told the committee members they had a crucial role to play in the decisions that needed to be made on the management of the Hurunui and Waiau rivers.
“I asked the committee to develop over the coming months a consensus position on water storage options in the Hurunui-Waiau Zone so they can provide input to the Regional Committee.”
Other areas the committee were briefed on included:
Flow and water allocation plans for the Hurunui and Waiau Rivers. Community Advisory Groups, through discussion and feedback at a series of meetings have come (or are very close) to a preferred position on the minimum flow and flow allocation regime for both rivers. The Waiau River Community Advisory Group will meet next month to agree a final position on the Waiau River flow plan. Meetings will be held from October on the Hurunui River flow plan and will include submitters, iwi and stakeholders.
The zone committee was briefed by one of the authors of the North Canterbury Storage Options report (prepared by Riley Consultants) which provides an assessment of long-term water needs for North Canterbury. It takes into account the potential for water storage (either on farm or from new infrastructure) and/or water transfer between catchments, integrated with water-use efficiency improvements, as well as the potential to use groundwater for irrigation. The main findings:
o There is some (although limited) opportunity for extending the irrigated area through increased water-use efficiency by current irrigators.
o There is low potential for further irrigation development from groundwater as bores in the area are generally low yielding (too low yielding to run a travelling irrigator).
o The report brings together previous work on storage sites in the Hurunui and Waipara as well as potential sites in the Waiau selected on the basis of a desk-top assessment of hydrology and topography. The consentability of the storage sites was not considered.
o The Waiau is a much bigger river than the Hurunui and has more reliable flows, therefore making it more attractive (hydrologically) for water storage Information on Waiau storage options, however, is currently very limited.
o On-farm storage is very expensive compared to “bulk” storage but that there is potential to combine on-farm storage with bulk storage to boost irrigation reliability.
The Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee has scheduled meetings every three weeks. The next two public meetings are:
o Monday 6 September in Culverden.
o Monday 27 September in Hawarden.
For further information:
Ian Whitehouse – 027 500-1833, Zone Facilitator or http://www.canterburywater.org.nz/