South Coastal Canterbury water plan to be notified

Environment Canterbury today announced that it will notify proposed Variation 3 to the proposed Land & Water Regional Plan for public submission on 24 April. The submission period will be 20 working days.

The Variation provides catchment-specific freshwater outcomes, limits, targets and water quality and quantity rules for the South Coastal Canterbury Area in Waimate District – from the Otaio catchment in the north to the Morven catchment in the south and the Hunters Hills in the west.

Environment Canterbury Commissioner Peter Skelton said proposed Variation 3 is part of a package of actions reflecting recommendations of the collaborative Canterbury Water Management Strategy Waitaki and South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee.

“The Variation represents significant progress in water management in this area which includes the iconic Wainono Lagoon,” Professor Skelton said. “The aim is to improve the health and mana of the lagoon and increase tributary flows over time, while at the same time increasing the amount of irrigated land. Council is confident this package effectively covers the need to address nitrate, phosphorous and sediment issues in the catchment with the help of farm environment plans.”

The Wainono Project and augmentation of Wainono Lagoon enable land users to stay within good management practice requirements on their nitrogen discharges. Two irrigation schemes are consented in the area – Waihao Downs and Hunter Downs – and a nitrogen allocation is provided for each scheme.

Professor Skelton paid tribute to those who had contributed to reaching this milestone. “The community has been involved in the process for more than two years, with many workshops and public discussions,” he said.

“The Nutrient Allocation Reference Group and the Zone Committee worked hard to come up with a package of solutions that would improve water quality while ensuring the district remains economically sound. Council firmly believes the package achieves this vision.”

Once Variation 3 is notified, all the rules have immediate legal effect. Public submissions are due by Monday 25 May. The hearings on Variation 3 by independent hearing commissioners are likely to start in late 2015. Recommended changes are then made by the hearing commissioners to Environment Canterbury.

The proposed Land & Water Regional Plan sets the framework to implement community aspirations for water through the Canterbury Water Management Strategy, a community led, collaborative approach to improve water outcomes throughout the region.

The proposed Land & Water Regional Plan operates at two levels – a region-wide section and 10 sub-regional sections. The policies and rules in the sub-regional sections can apply instead of, or in addition to, policies and rules in the region-wide section. The sub-regional sections implement the region-wide objectives in the plan in the most appropriate way for the catchment.

ENDS

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