Irrigators eye Waitohi River: Lake Sumner a ‘fallback’
Hurunui landowners in North Canterbury have committed nearly $2 million this month to support the Hurunui Water Project's plans for a revised irrigation and hydro scheme.
Hurunui landowners in North Canterbury have committed nearly $2 million this month to support the Hurunui Water Project’s plans for a revised irrigation and hydro scheme.
A Hurunui Water Project statement said the funds raised “are the first shareholder call by Hurunui Water Project since its inaugural share offer last October which raised $8 million from the Hurunui community.”
It is unclear whether the $8 million is the total commitment rather than the amount actually paid. Attempts to contact spokespeople were unsuccessful.
Hurunui Water Project has lodged a new application with Environment Canterbury for a revised scheme based on the Waitohi River rather than damming the nearby Hurunui River and Lake Sumner.
The Waitohi scheme is more acceptable to recreationists and environmentalists. But it is much more expensive and there are estimates it will cost more than $400 million.
“This week’s application supplements Hurunui Water Project’s 2009 resource consent application for a water storage scheme based on Lake Sumner and the Hurunui River’s South Branch,” the company said.
The Hurunui Water Project is effectively having a bet both ways as revealed in a recent newsletter.
“If the (Waitohi) scheme is too expensive, we will not be able to sell the water and the scheme will fail. That is not an option. The government funding is designed to support a commercial scheme for uptake risk in the early years, and is not seen as a subsidy.
“We therefore see it as crucial that we keep South Branch and Lake Sumner available as fall-back options in case we cannot find a way to make the Waitohi scheme work.”
“We want the scheme to be affordable for all kinds of farmers, not just the ones that can afford to convert to intensive dairy-ing. It is important from a water quality perspective that we keep nitrate loading to a minimum.
Chris Hutching
Tue, 25 Oct 2011
Tue, 25 Oct 2011
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Irrigators eye Waitohi River: Lake Sumner a ‘fallback’
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