A recommendation by the special tribunal considering whether dams on the Nevis River should be banned is "not far off ", officials say.
The tribunal, appointed by the Ministry for the Environment, considered 248 sub-missions on the matter and spent 18 days hearing evidence in Cromwell and Dunedin, spread over a year.
The final round of hearings was completed at the end of May in Dunedin.
Ministry for the Environment resource management practice manager Gina Sweetman said yesterday the tribunal was still finalising its report.
"I am advised that the report is not too far off in the future," she said.
The New Zealand and Otago Fish and Game Councils had applied for an amendment to the existing Water Conservation Order (WCO) on the river so that damming or diversion of the river was banned.
The tribunal will send its report and recommendations to the Minister of Environment, Nick Smith, and then it will be forwarded to the applicants, regional and local government, iwi authorities and submitters, Ms Sweetman said.
Submissions can then be made to the Environment Court within 15 days.
If no submissions are received by the court in that time, Dr Smith will consider the report.
If submissions are received, the Environment Court will hold an inquiry and provide a report and recommendations to the minister.
Pioneer Generation, which has been considering options for hydro-electricity schemes on the Nevis, was one of the organisations opposed to the WCO amendment.
During his closing submission to the hearing, Pioneer's lawyer, Kerry Smith, said the 1993 tribunal which heard the original WCO preserved the ability for hydro power generation.
That tribunal "clearly recognised the needs of primary and secondary industry and the community.
It also implicitly recognised that any other attributes, whatever they are, had to be put aside," he said.
The Fish and Game councils' lawyer, Maree Baker, said in her closing submissions that evidence had proved there were outstanding flora and fauna connected with the Nevis River that were deserving of protection under a WCO.
Such an order would provide certainty that the outstanding values would be sustained and protected, she said.
