October 10, 2007

MEDIA STATEMENT

Hunter Downs Irrigation Scheme – update on hearing date and release of officer’s report

Environment Canterbury today released its officer’s report for the proposed Hunter Downs Irrigation Scheme in the Waitaki Valley catchment. Hearings for the proposal begin on October 29 in Timaru.

The Meridian Energy and South Canterbury Irrigation Trust’s resource consent application seeks to take and use water from the Lower Waitaki River to irrigate up to 40,000 hectares east of the Hunter Hills between the Waitaki River and Timaru.

The proposal seeks a minimum river flow of 100 cumecs (cubic metres per second), lower than that specified in the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan.

The ECan officer’s report advises three independent commissioners of the potential effects of the proposal and whether it is consistent with the Resource Management Act and relevant regional plan provisions.

The hearing will be held in Timaru from October 29 to November 2 inclusive, then from November 12 to November 14 in Christchurch, then in Timaru again from December 3 to December 21.

More than 200 of the 431 submitters to the Hunter Downs Irrigation Scheme requested to present their case in person to commissioners. The commissioners appointed to hear the resource consent application are former Environment Court judge Professor Peter Skelton, Mike Bowden, environmental consultant and Dr Greg Ryder, a freshwater scientist. The same group of commissioners has just adjourned hearings for Meridian’s proposed North Bank Tunnel hydro proposal on the lower Waitaki River.

Like the North Bank Tunnel proposal, the Hunter Downs proposal also applies at this stage just for the water permit needed. Infrastructure consent applications would be lodged if the water applications are granted. Chair of the panel, Professor Peter Skelton, has indicated that the outcomes of these applications will not be determined until mid 2008.

The officer’s report on the Hunter Downs proposal is available on Environment Canterbury’s website www.ecan.govt.nz (look under Resource Consents on toolbar, then Waitaki at bottom of list) and will be sent directly to those submitters who request a copy.

For general information concerning Waitaki Catchment water allocation, visit: http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Resource+Consents/WaitakiConsents/

To read the officer’s report – http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Resource+Consents/WaitakiConsents/HunterDownsIrrigationScheme.htm

ENDS

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