The public is being given the chance to comment on proposals by three developers to set up 16 new dairy farms in the Omarama and Ohau areas of the Waitaki basin.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) has advertised resource consent applications from Five Rivers Ltd, Southdown Holdings Ltd and Williamson Holdings Ltd for farm developments that would involve up to 17,850 cows and require, in total, the disposal of up to 1.783 million litres of dairy effluent a day.
The public have until December 18 to make submissions on the Five Rivers and Southdown Holdings proposals, and until January 15 on Williamson Holdings' proposal.
The Otago Daily Times reported in September the area faced a boom in dairying with five different companies seeking resource consents for 19 dairy farms accommodating up to 22,530 cows in the Ohau and Omarama areas.
One consent was for an increase in cow numbers on an existing dairy operation, which has been approved.
Another consent sought was for the conversion of a dairying run-off unit already established next to the Ahuriri River on State Highway 8, which is in the process of being heard.
The three applications now being advertised for public submissions form the bulk of the new proposals.
Five Rivers, Southdown and Williamson have applied to ECan for five resource consents each.
The applications cover the discharge of dairy effluent, dairy effluent storage ponds, stock holding pads, excavation of land and discharge of contaminants to air from effluent ponds and cow cubicles.
Five Rivers proposes seven stand-alone dairy farms at Ohau Downs, about 4km south of the Ohau Rd-State Highway 8 intersection, with a maximum of 7000 cows housed in cubicle stables from March to October and 12 hours a day from November to February.
Southdown Holdings plans six stand-alone dairy farms at Glen Eyre Downs on Quailburn Rd about 10km from its intersection with SH8, with a maximum of 7000 cows to be housed in the same manner.
Williamson Holdings proposes three stand-alone dairy farms with up to 3850 cows on Killermont Station, about 5km west of Omarama on SH8.
It also proposes cubicle stables to house cows on the same basis as the other two operations.
All three companies are also involved in a current hearing on the supply of water by the Mackenzie Irrigation Company for the dairy farms.
However, hearings panel chairman Paul Rogers has ruled the water consent applications and those now being advertised will be heard together early next year, because they are linked.
He said the effluent holding ponds, treatment and discharge depended on water being available.
The three companies also proposed to dispose of the diluted effluent using the same equipment they would use for irrigation.
NOTE: Williamson Holdings is not associated with the Williamson family from Birchwood and Glenbrook Station, near Omarama.
