Zone Committee looking at proposed changes to the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan
The Lower Waitaki–South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee will meet in Waimate this Thursday July 19.
One of the key items on the agenda are proposed changes to the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan, which was made operative in 2005.
The committee has a working group dedicated to the Plan which provided interim recommendations included in the zone implementation programme completed in February 2012.
These recommendations were:
“Change the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan to reflect issues raised during consent hearings to:
- Provide clarity as to how the replacement or review of existing consents will be addressed
- Keep the integrity of plan provisions that protect the in-stream values of the lower Waitaki River
- Ensure that the security of electricity supply is not reduced, particularly in dry years.
Existing consents are changed to give effect to the Plan once operative.”
The working group has since considered the major issue of how existing water take consents will be addressed given the changes to the new consents granted after the Plan became operative. Any new consents to take water have a minimum flow of 150 cumecs (cubic metres per second). Consents granted before the Plan became operative have minimum flows between 80 and 150 cumecs.
The committee also held a workshop with stakeholders in June to discuss the proposed changes to the Plan.
The proposals for the changes to the Plan will be discussed at the zone committee meeting.
Other items on the meeting agenda include a presentation on Environment Canterbury’s Draft Land and Water Regional Plan.
The Lower Waitaki-South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waimate and Waitaki District Councils.
The zone extends from the Otaio catchment in the north, to the Waitaki Dam in the south, taking in Waimate, Kurow and Duntroon.
Meeting details
Lower Waitaki Zone Committee Meeting
1pm, Thursday 19 July, 2012
Council Chambers, Waimate District Council, 125 Queen Street, Waimate
Read the agenda (6.75 MB)