Te Waihora/Ellesmere Catchment Regional Water Plan

An Introduction for the Selwyn/Waihora Water Management Zone Committee

Lynda Weastell MurchisonPrincipal Planning & Consents Advisor06 April 2011

CONTENTS

• Introduction to catchment & issues• Why a regional water plan?• What will be covered in the plan?• How will the plan affect other

activities?• Role of Zone Committee• Timeframe

Te Waihora/Ellesmere Catchment

Big Ben Range

B. Peninsula

Waimakariri River

Rakaia River

ChCh/W Melton GW Zone

Catchment Characteristics cont…

• Mix of ephemeral, braided and springfed waterways.

• Ground and surface water very strongly linked, hills & plains

• Influence of Rakaia and Waimakairi rivers.

• Localised rainfall recharge (except Rakaia/Waimakariri sub-areas)

• Variable mean annual rainfall: 560mm at coast to 1300-1600mm foothills.

• Estimated 346.3million m3/yr of groundwater - currently managed two allocation zones:

- Rakaia-Selwyn (215 million m3/yr) - Selwyn-Waimakariri (131.9 million m3/yr).

Catchment Characteristics contcont…

• Land area 503 546ha (227 546ha plains & 276 000ha foothills)

• Foothills nw, impermeable rock strata – water resource is surface water.

• Plains 600m thick gravel aprons - water resource is ground water with surface gains & losses. Some surface run-off in high rainfall events.

• Banks Peninsula, impermeable rock – water resource is surface water.

• Land uses dominantly agricultural – water demand is irrigation & stock/domestic water

• Small settlements: community/town water supplies & some industrial supply

Catchment Issues…

• Dry summer conditions and regular droughts limit potential agricultural productivity

• Demand for water for irrigation increased substantially in last 20 years (5-fold increase in resource consents issued since 1985)

• Demand for irrigation water continues, not all land areas have access to gw or reliable sw, and amount of gw allocated exceeds allocation limits.

• Both anecdotal and recorded evidence of changes in fw bodies, including:- Increased extent and frequency of drying reaches in ephemeral streams;- Increased low flow periods in springfed streams;- Reduced water quality in some water bodies; and- Loss of reliability in some shallow wells.

Why do we need a Catchment Water Plan?

• NRRP- Provides for a catchment-specific approach (Var 10 for min flows for some

of the Te Waihora/Ellesmere catchment).- Has region-wide provisions apply in the absence of specific catchment

rules.- Region-wide provisions not suited to all catchments – eg, split

management of groundwater & surface water.- New challenges to water management in some areas, eg need to allocate

water to activities or areas.- Building a planning framework using region-wide provisions where a

consistent approach is appropriate and catchment-specific ones, where required.

- Fits CWMS model.

Where the Plan Applies

What the Plan Addresses

Stage 1•Immediate steps

regulatory

•what need to do now to avoid increasing adverse effects.

Stage 2•Future management of

the catchment

•Where want to get to & how going to do it:

•- With more water;•- Without more water

Stage 3•Lake & catchment

management

•- Combining it all

What the Plan Addresses

Stage 1 •What we know & don’t know•Issues & priority•Manage additional allocation & use - now

Stage 2 •Where would we like to get to – goal scenarios?•Costs & benefits – management scenarios•What can we achieve – with & without additional water

Stage 3 •Combining the catchment•Managing additional water in catchment & effects;•Managing inputs into Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere

How the Plan Manages WaterKey Points

• Water is one resource:- Plains; all as groundwater - Hills; all as surface water

• Focus:- Catchment down to the lake - inputs into the lake- Quantity, quality & land uses

• Simplify & rationalise – use of key/indicator water bodies- Setting flows & quality stds- Monitoring sites- Manage relative to functions & values

How the Plan Affects Other Activities

WCOPlan cannot be

inconsistent with WCO

New activitie

s

Must comply from time plan

is notified

Plan rules can include timing.

Existing activitie

s

Expiry.Consent

conditions - operative

Plan can indicate if

& when

Role of the Zone Committee

Scoping plan •Paper to May meeting•Tech findings & topic recommendations

Developing Plan &

Consultation•Committee may choose different level at

different stages.•Stage 1 options – May 2011.

Statutory Process •No Zone Committee involvement.

•(Individual members submissions)

Timeframe

• Annual Plan Measures- Stage 1 – approved for notification July 2011- Stage 2 – approved for notification July 2012

Stage 1 – Timeframe pre 22/02/11 (to be revised)- Preliminary technical investigations - January 2011 - Peer review & follow up - Feb 2011- Report to Zone Committee - March 2011- Community consultation April-May 2011- Draft plan presented to ZC – June 2011- Draft plan approved for notification by Regional Council July 2011