From our Chair: Flood protection co-investment a great first step
Confirmation that Waitaha Canterbury will receive $5.7 million from Central Government to help pay for climate resilience and flood protection work is big news for our region.
The Government had earlier signalled it would co-fund 42 nationwide projects identified in the Before the Deluge 2.0 report. This was a business case put together by a mix of councils, including ours, calling for permanent co-investment in river resilience and flood management schemes.
For many years, we’ve been advocating for a return of this type of support to protect lives, livelihoods and improve environmental outcomes.
We now have details about the level of help on offer.
Sixty per cent of the cost of each project will be covered through the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Local funding will be required for the remainder.
Our region has more than 78,000 km in rivers and streams, and we’ve seen first-hand the devastation that can be caused when flooding hits.
I’ve always believed that it’s in the entire country’s best interest to protect communities and vital transport and infrastructure links, so we’re really pleased the Government has come through with this commitment.
In saying that, there are still four other projects outlined in the Before the Deluge 2.0 business case we hope will be considered for co-funding in future.
We’re looking at the long game; we want co-investment to be on the table permanently.
So while it’s great that we can crack on with work to beef up our defences, conversations with the Government will continue.
Peter Scott, Chair, Environment Canterbury
Dealing with the dry
For now, it’s dry conditions that are causing headaches across our region.
Despite the decent rainfall our lakes and headwaters received over the past week, several low-land streams and groundwater wells remain dry.
For farmers, it’s impacting the amount of feed available for stock and it could mean less water for irrigation further down the track.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy fix.
There’s been a lot of attention on the Lake Camp situation, and questions about why we can’t just fill it back up with water from Balmacaan Stream.
As we’ve explained, any person or organisation could apply for a resource consent to divert water, and our role as the regional council would be to assess the application. We would have to follow Resource Management Act processes to ensure the local environment and other waterbodies wouldn’t be negatively impacted.
This is a matter we’re engaging with Ashburton District Council on so that the issues and potential solutions can be discussed and shared as widely as possible.
I fully appreciate the strain this weather is putting on our rural communities up and down Canterbury, especially with farmers in the middle of lambing and calving.
Our staff will continue to keep our rural industry partners and communities up-to-date with regular reporting on water levels and conditions. Our land management advisors are also on-hand to offer free advice on irrigation efficiency and water management.
As always, please feel free to contact me - email me at councillor.scott@ecan.govt.nz