Smith targets Rakaia conservation order
Environment Minister Nick Smith has requested his appointed commissioners at Environment Canterbury to look at overturning the Rakaia Conservation Order.
Conservation Minister Nick Smith has initiated the process to overturn the Conservation Order on the Rakaia River.
In keeping with the now-familiar method of initiating changes via his appointed commissioners at Environment Canterbury, Mr Smith has referred an application by TrustPower to vary the Rakaia River Water Conservation Order to the commissioners.
The commissioners will then report back to him requesting the change – after it has gone through public notification and submissions.
The outcome has been discussed and endorsed by the zone committees set up as part of the Canterbury Water management Strategy.
These “collaborative” committees are appointed by Environment Canterbury and comprise a majority of members who are involved in farming or irrigation.
The TrustPower application will increase the amount of water that can be taken, reducing the flow levels of parts of the river for longer periods.
According to TrustPower’s own presentation, a new canal from Lake Coleridge, which feeds into the Rakaia, will increase the rate at which water can be drawn from the lake. “The existing scheme can draw lake level down by up to 10cm per day. The proposal would increase this to 15cm per day.
“Additional off take means at times there is less water in the reach from the power station to approximately 10 kilometres below the Rakaia Gorge,” according to Trustpower.
Mr Smith said the TrustPower application will enable Lake Coleridge to be used for irrigation storage as well as its existing use for hydro-electricity generation.
“It does not vary the outstanding features of the Rakaia River recognised in the water conservation order, the minimum flow levels specified for each month, or the operating limits of Lake Coleridge in existing resource consents,” Mr Smith said.
“A final decision on any variation will be made after the Commissioners have notified the variation, considered submissions and made recommendations to the Minister for the Environment next year,” Mr Smith said.
Chris Hutching
Fri, 23 Sep 2011
Fri, 23 Sep 2011
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Smith targets Rakaia conservation order
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