Defences against water Code of Practice
The Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan enables works by local authorities and network utility operators to be undertaken on defences against water as a permitted activity, provided a number of conditions are met. One of the conditions is that the work is carried out in accordance with the Canterbury Regional Code of Practice for Defences Against Water and Drainage Schemes (April 2019).
For clarity, a defence against water has been defined in the Canterbury Land & Regional Water Plan (LWRP) as:
“Any structure or equipment, including any bund, weir, spillway, floodgate, bank, stopbank, retaining wall, rock or erosion protection structure, groyne, vegetation (including anchored tree protection) or reservoir, that is designed to have the effect of stopping, diverting, controlling, restricting or otherwise regulating the flow, energy or spread of water, including floodwaters, in or out of a water body, artificial watercourse, or artificial lake. For the purpose of this definition, dams are excluded”
About the Code of Practice
The Code of Practice (PDF File, 3.14MB) has been developed in consultation with other Local Authorities, Network Utility Operators and key stakeholders such as the Department of Conservation and Fish and Game and our partners Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
This Code of Practice outlines how work undertaken by local authorities and network utility operators on defences against water in lakes and rivers can be conducted in a way to minimise the environmental, cultural and social impacts.
Local authorities and network utility operators must apply to Environment Canterbury to have works plans certified as being in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice under permitted activity Rule 5.138 of the LWRP.
For more information on the Code of Practice, please contact customer services.
Read the Code of Practice (PDF File, 3.14MB).
Reviewing the Code of Practice
The Code of Practice was reviewed at the end of 2018, with the updated version adopted in April 2019.
Key updates
- Updated references to key guidance documents such as the National Fish Passage Guidelines and the Erosion and Sediment Control Toolbox
- Strengthened provisions for protecting natural character, significant natural areas, terrestrial biodiversity, and native fish spawning
- Clarification around the certification and Code of Practice review processes
Contact us
Please contact our customer services team for further information on the updates to the Code of Practice.