Dry years are threatening the viability of two properties owned by a Maerewhenua farmer and he wants to build a small irrigation scheme making "smart use of water" to maintain production.
Michael Gillingham owns a 680ha grazing property in Dansey Pass which is supported by a 50ha block, near the Maerewhenua river, to grow supplementary feed.
He is seeking two resource consents to build an irrigation scheme using water from a bore and harvesting from the Maerewhenua river during high flows into a storage pond to irrigate 29ha on the 50ha property.
Applications for the two consents are being heard by an Environment Canterbury (ECan) hearings panel sitting in Oamaru.
Mr Gillingham said that, without the new scheme, the viability of both his properties was "on the line".
Several dry years had had a major impact on his properties and irrigation of the 29ha could bring a 40% in production.
In a wet year, the 50ha block produced 245 big round bales of hay or baleage.
After three dry years, production fell to eight bales and he faced spending about $12,000 buying in extra feed last winter.
In addition, he faced costs of resowing pastures at $200 a hectare after a dry year.
Groundwater from a 7m deep bore would be the primary source for the irrigation, supplemented by water harvested into a storage pond from the Maerewhenua river when its flows were more than 2 cumecs.
The dam would take five days to fill and provide water for a month's irrigation.
Water resources engineer Dugald MacTavish said the scheme made smart use of stored water, reducing the impact on the Maerewhenua river during summer low flows and on other users.
The irrigated area was small and the land use would not be highly intensive.
In his view, the scheme would provide considerable benefit to the operation of the farms and the community.
ECan environmental consultant Claire Penman was not satisfied the effects of the scheme would be minor.
She could not recommend the consents be granted, but that is not binding on the hearings panel.
