Water Discussion Document Coming Up

Council is working on a discussion paper on the future of the region’s water resources.

It will canvass the issues surrounding the future management of our water resources now that water is fully allocated in much of the region.

After a recent two-day Water Forum, arranged by the District Council and attended by representatives from interest groups across Marlborough, it’s intended that focus groups will be established to be part of the discussion process with the aim of producing a policy statement by the end of this year.

The discussion document is likely to propose some enhancements, rather than a radical change to the current water allocation regime, looking at such things as making more efficient use of existing water rights, allowing for easy exchange of water between consent-holders and ensuring the region has sufficient, reliable water supply to allow for economic growth.

There are currently 1600 water permits issued by the Marlborough District Council, allowing for the allocation of more than 80 million cubic metres per year from groundwater resources and 110 million cubic metres per year from surface water resources.