Farmers 'vulnerable, threatened'

Farmers "feel very threatened and vulnerable" over the future reliability of their water supply from the lower Waitaki River for irrigation, Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company chairman Chris Dennison said yesterday.

Mr Dennison, along with other major irrigation companies on the lower Waitaki River, was giving evidence to an Environment Canterbury hearings panel considering new and renewal of resource consents for irrigation from the river.

The irrigation companies and individual water users are united in their fight to ensure their almost 100% reliability of water supply is retained.

Farmers' fears relate to the Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan, prepared by the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Board in 2005, and effects of the Meridian Energy Ltd north bank tunnel concept power scheme and joint Meridian Energy Ltd-South Canterbury Irrigation Trust Hunter Downs irrigation scheme.

The allocation plan sets a minimum flow of 150 cumecs for the lower river, but also has a provision for Meridian to release from the Waitaki dam extra water up to 80 cumecs to cater for existing and new users.

However, Meridian says that extra release cannot be implemented until its Waitaki dam resource consent comes up for renewal in 2025, leaving irrigators pondering restrictions on their supply once the 150 cumecs minimum is brought into force.

To resolve their concerns, irrigators want a minimum flow of 100 cumecs and are attempting to negotiate with Meridian a flow sharing agreement which would provide for the additional water to be released.

Supporting that are the Lower Waitaki, Morven-Glenavy-Ikawai, North Otago irrigation companies, Maerewhenua District Water Resources Company, new and existing users in the Mid River Irrigation Group and individual consent holders.

However, no agreement has yet been reached, leaving irrigators in an uncertain position.

Mr Dennison said the allocation plan was supposed to give irrigators some security for reliable water supplies in the future.

Meridian's claim it had no intention of releasing the extra water specified in the plan until 2025 was a flaw in the allocation plan.

"Meridian is utilising this flaw to pressure irrigators into accepting a flow regime that will force us to accept some of the risk of low flows," he said. "As you can imagine, we feel very threatened and vulnerable in this position."

Farmers did not have the resources of a large state-owned enterprise nor experience in dealing with protracted processes.

Supplementing the flows of the lower river during low flows might be the small price generators had to pay to harness the river for their benefit.

In return for a reliable supply of water, irrigators would be prepared to set up a system whereby their demands, based on a 24-hour period, were communicated to Meridian, he said.

An agreement with Meridian and flow-sharing at times of low flows based on a 24-hour mean flow proposed by the Mid River New Applicants' Group was supported by the four major irrigation companies and individuals.

Lower Waitaki legal counsel Pru Steven (CRRCT) said the the company wanted to ensure the high level of reliability of supply existing users enjoyed was assured.

• Consent hearing

Where: The Homestead, Oamaru, from August 11 to August 22, then September 1 to September 12.

Purpose: To hear 56 applications to use water from the lower Waitaki River below the Waitaki dam. Uses are for agriculture-horticulture, hydro electricity and community water supplies. Some date back to 1998, but were called in and put on hold by the Government because of Project Aqua.

Commissioners: Former Environment Court judge Prof Peter Skelton (Christchurch), environmental consultant Mike Bowden (Kaiapoi) and freshwater scientist and ecologist Greg Ryder (Dunedin).

Submissions heard yesterday: Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company, Morven-Glenavy-Ikawai Irrigation Company, North Otago Irrigation Company, Maerewhenua District Water Resources Company, Mid River Irrigation group and other irrigators.

Topics yesterday: In support of new applicants and a lower Waitaki River-flow regime.

Coming up: Hearing adjourned until 12.30pm on September 1.