MEDIA RELEASE

22 January 2015
ORC issues water shortage direction to safeguard the Taieri
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is issuing a Water Shortage Direction that will see a regime for the rationing and rostering of water take effect on three farms in the Paerau to Waipiata section of the Taieri River from 8am tomorrow(Friday 23 January).

ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker said it was clear following detailed flow gauging and analysis of the water in the Taieri, and co-operation from irrigators rostering water takes, that with careful rationing, a small amount of water would be available over the coming days for farmers in those sections of the river still retaining the minimum flow.

The Water Shortage Direction aims to ensure the minimum flows at Waipiata and Tiroiti are sustained and that any water available after the river ecology is preserved will be carefully managed, Mr Bodeker said.

An ORC staff group is keeping an hourly watch on flows. Getting this regular monitoring data meant the Water Shortage Direction could be amended as needed to maintain optimum river flows, or release water once the flows return to sustainable levels.

“We are committed to maintaining the minimum flows set for Waipiata and Tiroiti, and managing any available water through rationing and rostering among the few farms in the area entitled to take water under deemed permits or RMA consents. Extra ORC compliance staff will be in the field to ensure everyone complies with the Direction,” Mr Bodeker said.

The Water Shortage Direction prescribes how much and how often water will be rostered.

If the flow at Tiroiti falls below 1100 l/sec, all consent holders with water takes between Tiroiti and Waipiata will be expected to stop doing so.

“We appreciate the co-operation we’ve had so far from many farmers in difficult circumstances,” Mr Bodeker said.

“This includes farmers who have shown a great flexibility and capacity to ration water, the voluntary reductions made by Kyeburn irrigators which have released water to maintain flows at Tiroiti, and the work of the Maniototo Irrigation Company to release 1000 l/sec to assist flows at Waipiata,” he said.

All water takes from the Taieri below Tiroiti that have a measureable effect on river flows have ceased thanks to voluntary restrictions from farmers in this area, who have agreed to stop taking water until reasonable flows return.

Despite this, conditions are so dry that the river at Sutton is not expected to regain minimum flows until rain falls”

“We are at the stage where we are left with no choice other than to issue this Direction, and possibly others in the coming weeks, to secure the long-term viability of the river for all users should the need arise”, Mr Bodeker said

Water shortage directions are issued under the Resource Management Act and allow regional councils to restrict, suspend, or apportion water at times of serious shortage. A direction can be applied for up to 14 days and can be amended, revoked, or renewed as circumstances determine.

ORC has intensified its flow monitoring work by increasing the number of river gauging devices operating to measure river flows. Council hydrologists, fishery, and water quality scientists have been surveying affected catchments to measure water flows and the effects of the drought on native fish, trout, and water quality.

With most rivers in the region running low so early in the year and no substantial rain in sight, all farmers should be implementing plans to deal with the longer term effects of water shortage on their property, Mr Bodeker said.
Up-to-date information is available from the ORC website at:http://water.orc.govt.nz or from the water info line on 0800 426 463.

People viewing the website frequently are advised to refresh their screens to be sure they see the latest data.

NB: A summary of key points relating to the water restrictions and a fact sheet on the Taieri River is attached.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

22 January 2015
Key points of the ORC Water Shortage Direction for the Taieri River, effective 8am Friday 23 January

Paerau to Waipiata
• Any available water after minimum flows are achieved will be rationed and rostered to three local farms. This is subject to the Waipiata minimum flow being maintained at 1000 l/sec.
• One consented water take and two deemed permit holders will be rationed water at a maximum rate of 50l/sec. This is expected to maintain the Waipiata minimum flow of 1000 l/sec
• When flows at Waipiata exceed 1150 l/s as recorded by the ORC, both takes can resume at consented rates but must maintain1000 l/s at Waipiata.

Waipiata to Tiroiti
• Kyeburn Irrigation Group and adjacent consent holders maintain Tiroiti at minimum flow (1,100 l/s) as recorded by ORC.
• If flows fall below 1100 l/s at Tiroiti as recorded by the ORC, all takes will be expected to cease between the Tiroiti and Waipiata minimum flow sites. This includes all tributaries.
• If flows at Tiroiti are above 1150 l/s as recorded by the ORC the available water will be rostered day-on day-off by three users, provided no more than a combined rate of 50 l/s is taken.
• When Tiroiti flows reach 1,300 l/s, all takes can resume at consented rates but must maintain 1100 l/s at Tiroiti as recorded by the ORC.

Tiroiti to Sutton
• All main stem takes below Tiroiti will cease
• If flows below Tiroiti reach agreed trigger flows, rostering of takes will be implemented

Taieri River catchment facts

• The Taieri River has a catchment of 5700 km2.
• The river flows for 318km from headwaters in Central Otago’s Lammerlaw and Lammermoor ranges before reaching the Pacific Ocean 30km south of Dunedin.
• Very dry summers are common throughout the catchment. Conditions last reached severe levels in 1998/99 and 2003/4. If the current dry conditions continue, the effects are expected to be worse than in both those seasons.
• There are more than over 100 consents to take water from the Taieri and its tributaries, the majority of which are deemed permits. The bulk of the water is used for irrigation.
• The total consented amount of water that can be taken from the Taieri is 10,100 l/sec under normal flow conditions. The actual amount of water taken for irrigation under minimum flow conditions is much less than this.
• Minimum flows have been set for five sites on the Taieri. These will apply to all water takes upon the expiry of deemed permits (mining privileges) in 2021.
• When the minimum flow is breached, all consented water takes linked to that site must cease immediately.
• ORC has five minimum flow monitoring sites in the main stem of the river:

ORC minimum flow monitoring sites and set minimum flows

• Outram (2.5 m³/s)
• Sutton (1.250 m³/s)
• Tiroiti (1.1 m³/s)
• Waipiata (1 m³/s)
• Paerau (0.85 m³/s).

Deemed Permits
• In the 1880s, during the gold rush in Central Otago, water rights for gold mining were issued by the Warden’s courts as property rights in perpetuity. Later, under the Mining Act 1898, the rights to take water from small burns, creeks and water races, and diverted from larger streams were classified as mining privileges.
• When the Resource Management Act was passed in 1991, mining rights became “deemed permits” so that they could continue to be used for taking water but they were given a thirty year term. Under the RMA all deemed permits lapse in 2021 and anyone who wants to continue taking water has to apply for an RMA resource consent, including conditions protecting environmental flows.

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