On behalf of the advisory group for the Restorative Programme for Lowland Streams:

Community meetings early November, Dunsandel and Leeston, central Canterbury

The advisory group for Environment Canterbury’s Restorative Programme for Lowland Streams held their third meeting this week.

The group agreed that the evidence for reduced lowland stream flows, exacerbated by low recharge years and irrigation, is convincing and that the inconsistencies in the conditions applied to resource consents in the Rakaia-Selwyn groundwater zone should be addressed.

With assistance from Environment Canterbury, the group has agreed to host four meetings in early November to allow communities to find out more about the programme, to hear views on how it might best be implemented and to listen to other suggestions that might contribute to the aims of the programme. Two meetings will be in Leeston and two in Dunsandel.

“It is the intention of the advisory group to engage fully with the communities involved and to bring forward their views as to the most effective ways to improve the situation for the lowland streams and for the security of access of existing irrigation water users,” said Dr Terry Heiler, advisory group chairman.

Dates and venues for the community meetings will be advertised and the consent-holders in this zone written to as soon as details are confirmed.

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