Rangitata Diversion Race Management Ltd - Klondyke Storage

  • Submissions opened: Saturday, 20th Jan 2018 - 12:01am
  • Submissions closed: Monday, 19th Feb 2018 - 5:00pm

Resource Management Act 1991

The Canterbury Regional Council and Ashburton District Council have received an application from Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited (RDRML) for a suite of resource consents relating to the publicly notified proposal for resource consents CRC170651-CRC170662 and LUC16C/0067  to construct, use and maintain the Klondyke Storage Pond.

 This publicly notified application will be heard together at a hearing with the application for resource consents CRC170651-CRC170662 and LUC16C/0067.

 The additional application relates to a proposal for the: 

  1. construction, use and maintenance of a replacement fish screen constisting of a Mechanical Rotary Fish Screen (‘Fish Screen’) associated with the operation of the Rangitata Diversion Race;
  2. discharge of water and sediment to the Rangitata River associated with the emergency discharge from the proposed Klondyke Storage Pond; and
  3. the use of water in the RDR canal and the amendment of existing resource consent CRC011237 to remove the requirement for the existing Bio Acoustic Fish Fence.

 The proposed Fish Screen is located at 108 Klondyke Road and on the banks of the Rangitata River, while the water storage facility will be located adjacent to Montalto Road, at or about map reference Topo50 BY19:6150-4409.  

 The purpose of the Fish Screen is to exclude fish from the canal and return them to the Rangitata River. The proposal includes earthworks associated with the construction of an additional section of canal and a fish by-pass return to the Rangitata River. The proposed Fish Screen is located approximately 1,000 metres upstream of the existing sand trap and Bio Acoustic Fish Fence fish screen, and approximately 1,400 metres downstream from the existing RDR intake. In addition to the construction of the Fish Screen, the proposal is seeking an additional staged non-consumptive water take of up to 5.0 cubic metres per second, associated with the operation of the Fish Screen. The water take replaces the existing non-consumptive water take of 3.0 cubic metres per second for the Bio Acoustic Fish Fence and will be directly returned to the Rangitata River via the fish return structure.

In addition to the construction and operation of the Fish Screen, supplementary applications are sought for a change to condition 5 of existing resource consent CRC011237, to remove the requirement for the Bio Acoustic Fish Fence upon the construction of the Mechanical Rotary Fish Screen. Additionally, resource consent is sought to provide for a change to the ‘use’ of water extracted via the Rangitata Diversion Race, from ‘run of river’ to ‘storage’, upon the construction of the Klondyke Storage Pond Proposal. It is therefore proposed that water extracted by RDRML as a result of resource consents CRC011237 (being the existing consented water extraction regime) and CRC170654 (the proposed additional Klondyke Storage Pond high flow water take) is available to be used for storage within the Klondyke Storage Pond, irrigation, stock water distribution and to generate electricity.

A further supplementary application is sought for the emergency discharge of water from the Klondyke Storage Pond, via the proposed sluice channel, in the low probability event of dam failure that necessitates the lowering of water within the Pond. The proposal is considered to be a pre-emptive application to ensure that all of the necessary regulatory requirements are in place in advance of them being required.

 The application includes an assessment of effects. The applicant has applied for the following resource consents from:

 Canterbury Regional Council

 CRC182535 -    to discharge water from the take authorised under CRC182536 and suspended sediment to the river via the fish bypass return;

CRC182536 -    For a non-consumptive take of up to 5 cumecs of water from the Rangitata River associated with the operation of a fish screen;

CRC182537 -    to disturb the bed of the Rangitata River for the construction of the fish bypass outlet;

CRC182538 -    to temporarily discharge sediment to the Rangitata River as a result of the construction and maintenance of the fish bypass outlet;

CRC182539 -    to extract gravel for the construction and periodic maintenance of the fish bypass outlet;

CRC182540 -    to use land for earthworks over an aquifer;

CRC182541 –   the emergency discharge of water to the Rangitata River;

CRC182542 -    to change conditions of CRC011237 to enable an alternative fish screen design consisting of a Mechanical Rotary Fish Screen to be used;

CRC182630 -    to use water for storage;

CRC182631 -    to use water under CRC170654 for storage, irrigation and stockwater purposes, and to generate electricity at Montalto and Highbank Power Stations.

Ashburton District Council

 LUC17/0122 – a land use consent at Klondyke Terrace, Ashburton, to construct and operate a Fish Screen on land that is zoned Rural B. This includes the construction of the fish bypass return on the bed of the Rangitata River and within the 20 metre setback and the upgrading of a utility structure exceeding the rural zone and geoconservation area earthworks standards.

 A lapse period of 5 years has been sought for the Fish Screen consents and 35 years for the emergency discharge and use of water applications. RDRML seeks that an unlimited term be applied to all of the land use consents that are sought from the Ashburton District Council. The Company seeks a 35-year term for all of the resource consents that are sought from the Canterbury Regional Council.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on Monday 19 February 2018 with Environment Canterbury.

If not making an online submission, please forward your written submission to Environment Canterbury PO Box 345 Christchurch 8041 or to ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz; with a copy to: 

Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited, C/O Mr Gavin Kemble, Ryder Consulting Limited, PO Box 13009, Tauranga 3141; or Email: g.kemble@ryderconsulting.co.nz.

The application can be read here:

Sorry, this is not a current Notification.
To request making a late submission, please contact Hearings at Environment Canterbury.