A water allocation plan for the Waitaki catchment is facing changes to resolve issues, including the minimum flow in the lower Waitaki River, that have arisen since it was finalised in 2005.
In 2012, Environment Canterbury made the first change to the Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan, making extra water available from Lake Pukaki when there is a major electricity crisis.
Now two more are being planned, addressing problems that emerged with water in the Maerewhenua River catchment and on the lower Waitaki River.
Plan change 2, advertised in December and set down for a public hearing in the middle of this year, probably in Oamaru, is for the Maerewhenua catchment, where water has been over-allocated. Consent-holders are giving up some of the water from the Maerewhenua catchment and instead taking it from the Waitaki River. There is also a proposal to change where the minimum flow is measured.
But the most controversial is plan change 3, which concerns minimum flows in the lower Waitaki River and brings forward the release of extra water from the Waitaki dam. It is scheduled to be advertised for public submissions next month and these will probably be heard in Oamaru, on a date yet to be set.
The 2005 plan provided for a minimum flow of 150cumecs but also for Meridian Energy to release from the Waitaki dam extra flows of between 10 and 80 cumecs, depending on the time of year.
However, those extra flows could not be introduced until Meridian's resource consents for the Waitaki dam came up for renewal in 2025. Meridian's consent allowed flows less than those specified in the plan.
Now Meridian has agreed, as part of the plan change, to introduce that earlier if other changes are made to the plan.
One of those is to clarify the position of resource consents to use water that were approved before the plan was prepared. These existing consents have minimum flows, when water cannot be taken, ranging from none to 130 cumecs.
The plan change would bring them all up to 102 cumecs, or the flow specified on the existing consent, whichever was higher.
The plan change also sets aside water for projects such as restoring flows of the Wainono Lagoon (east of Waimate) to enhance mahinga kai (traditional food sources) using water delivered through irrigation schemes.
Waitaki catchment allocation plan
Progress so far:
• In 2003, the Labour Government, under pressure over Meridian Energy's Project Aqua power scheme, passed special legislation setting up a five-member board to allocate water in the Waitaki catchment.
• That, along with other issues, led Meridian to cancel the scheme in March, 2004.
• The Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan was released in 2005 and become operative under Environment Canterbury in 2006.
• Any changes are subject to the Resource Management Act, which will include public notification, the chance for submissions and a hearing of submissions.
• Plan change 1 approved in 2012 provided extra water from Lake Pukaki for electricity generation in a crisis.
• Plan change 2, to be heard in the middle of this year, addresses issues with the Maerewhenua River.
• Plan change 3, to be notified next month for public submissions, addresses minimum flow and other issues, bringing forward extra flows from the Waitaki dam.
• Both plan change hearings are likely to be heard in Oamaru.
