Water users who want water from the lower Waitaki River will get the chance to put their case next month, some after waiting up to 10 years for a decision on their resource consent applications.
Three independent commissioners appointed by Environment Canterbury (ECan) will conduct hearings on 56 resource consent applications over four weeks starting from August 11 at The Homestead, in Oamaru.
The commissioners - former Environment Court judge Prof Peter Skelton (Christchurch), environmental consultant Mike Bowden (Kaiapoi) and freshwater scientist and ecologist Greg Ryder (Dunedin) - heard two applications last year in Timaru for water from the lower river.
One was the Meridian Energy Ltd north bank tunnel-concept power scheme to take up to 260 cumecs of water from Lake Waitaki into a 34km-long tunnel with one powerhouse generating between 1100GWh and 1400GWh a year.
The other was the Meridian-South Canterbury Irrigation Trust Hunter Downs scheme to take up to 20.5 cumecs to irrigate up to 40,000ha in the Waimate and Timaru districts.
About 200 resource consent applications, some dating back to 1998, to use water from the Waitaki catchment were called in by the Government in 2003 when Meridian was proposing its Project Aqua power scheme.
Meridian cancelled Project Aqua in March 2004.
Consideration of the applications was delayed while the Government appointed the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Board to prepare a Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan.
The plan became operative in July 2006, and now ECan is moving to hear and make decisions on the delayed applications.
The first to be heard will be applications for water from the lower Waitaki River below the Waitaki dam, including tributaries such as the Hakataramea River.
There are 56 applications below the Waitaki dam and on tributaries - 42 for water permits and 14 associated land use and discharge permits.
Some applicants have combined into the Mid River New Application Group, which expects to take more than four days to complete evidence, while others are individuals.
Water uses range from irrigation for farms and vineyards through to a proposal for a small, individual hydro scheme.
The commissioners will also hear submissions from other groups on the applications, including Meridian, the Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company, the Lower Waitaki River Management Society, Department of Conservation, Ngai Tahu and the Central South Island Fish and Game Council.
The hearing will start on August 11 and run through until September 12, with a week's break from August 24 until August 30.
Applications for water above the Waitaki dam will be heard early next year.
