MEDIA RELEASE

August 12, 2014

ORC seeking community involvement in groundwater management decisions

A groundwater management workshop in Ranfurly which was to have been held last month is now on next week.

The ORC-hosted workshop had to be re-scheduled from July 21 because of heavy snowfalls in the district. It is now being held on Thursday August 21 from 2pm to 3.30pmat the Maniototo Rugby Club Rooms.

ORC director of policy, planning, and resource management Fraser McRae said that because council scientists would be studying the Maniototo groundwater resource in coming months, tapping into local knowledge from the outset would form an important part of the process and help shape management decisions.

ORC staff will also explain the council’s water management policy as part of community consultations before setting limits on how much water can be taken from the groundwater resource.

The Maniototo workshop is the first in a series of similar events for which dates have been confirmed.

These are: Roxburgh aquifer, Roxburgh Town Hall, Wednesday August 27, 1pm to 2.30pm; and Hawea basin aquifers, Hawea Community Centre, 7pm to 9pm; Pisa and Luggate-Queensberry groundwater management zones, Lowburn Community Hall, Thursday August 28, 11am to 12.30pm.

Information from the previous workshops is available on the ORC website www.orc.govt.nz

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