22 June 2007

Disappointment at Wairau hydro decision

Forest & Bird says it is disappointed that TrustPower has been granted resource consents to build a hydro power scheme that will cause environmental damage to the Wairau River.

However, Forest & Bird Top of the South Field Officer Debs Martin says Forest & Bird will now work together with other conservation, recreation and community organisations to push for strict conditions to reduce the environmental impact of the hydro scheme as much as possible.

“We are very disappointed that the hydro scheme has been granted consents, given that the scheme will cause significant damage to one of New Zealand’s most magnificent braided rivers, and the endangered species that live there,” Debs Martin says.

“As the decision is not final, and submissions are now sought on the conditions under which the scheme will be allowed to go ahead, we will now work with other groups to seek the most robust conditions under which the scheme is allowed to operate.”

Conditions Forest & Bird will seek include ensuring that the amount of water taken from the river allows natural variability of water flow to continue, and that removal of water from the river doesn’t affect the habitat of endangered black-fronted terns that breed on the Wairau.

“The best way of ensuring that the river flow and habitats were protected would be to decline TrustPower’s application outright, but we will now seek to ensure that conditions are stringent –and certainly allow much less water to be taken from the river than TrustPower is seeking. In fact the conditions we require may mean that the hydro scheme is not feasible for TrustPower to proceed with.” She says TrustPower’s plans to divert most of the Wairau’s flow through 49 kilometres of canals would reduce the middle reaches of the river to a mere trickle for much of the year. The low flows proposed under the scheme would have serious adverse impacts on plant and animal life by

1. causing smaller river channels to dry up, reducing food supply and habitat for birds 2. reducing nesting habitat and increased disturbance and loss of nests 2. increasing access to nests by introduced predators increasing water temperatures to levels that will kill aquatic species destroying wetland habitat.

It is also possible that the decision will be appealed to the Environment Court once conditions are set, Debs Martin says.

ENDS

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