Construction of a huge irrigation storage faciity on a 120-hectare property at Wrights Road, near Burnt Hill, Oxford, has begun — nearly 20 years after first being mooted.

The ponds, which are capable of holding 8.2 million cubic metres of water, are expected to be operational for the 2029/2030 irrigation season.

The $60M project is expected to provide a positive boost to the local and regional economy over its three-year construction period.

The Government is providing up to $15.6M of loan funding from the Regional Infrastructure Fund for the construction of the ponds which will increase the reliability of irrigation water for farmers who are shareholders in Burnt Hill Storage Limited (BHSL).

They will store consented water from the Waimakariri River for supplementary use when water from the run-of-the-river supply is restricted or unavailable.

Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd (WIL) bought the site in 2007, and work started on building consents, resources consents and design in 2011. 

BHSL will own, and operate the water storage facility, through a contract with Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL), and use its water race infrastructure.

BHSL says a longstanding partnership with Rooney Earthmoving Limited (REL), has played an important role in achieving the construction milestone. 

BHSL chairman Hugh Martyn says having access to stored water will increase reliability for farmers’ businesses while also providing BHSL with the opportunity to pursue environmental and climate change adaptation initiatives.

“It’s important to be able to store water so that we can use water efficiently during the irrigation season to grow food for New Zealanders and to contribute to our export market.

"Agriculture is hugely important to Canterbury and plays a vital role in New Zealand’s economic resilience.

“We are all too familiar with the economic and environmental impacts of drought and climate change is already accelerating this process. Investing in water storage helps Canterbury withstand prolonged drought conditions while ensuring a more consistent and reliable supply of water for farming and environmental initiatives.”

Irrigation New Zealand’s CEO Karen Williams says the realities of climate change mean that as a country we need to be smarter about capturing, storing and using water efficiently.

“Water storage projects such as the Wrights Road Storage Ponds play an important role in enhancing the resilience of infrastructure services that are crucial to New Zealand’s economy and communities dealing with climate change.

"Resilient infrastructure assists with community and business adaptation while safeguarding the well-being of future generations.”

WIL was first granted a building consent in June 2013 for the 8.2 million cubic metre water storage facility on its Burnt Hill property, where a small storage pond was already established.

The consent was approved with 160 submissions being received, 115 of them objecting to the project.

The Eyre Community Environmental Society then appealed to the Environment Court.

There is now over 100 consent conditions to be met including an evacuation plan which is being prepared and which will be regularly update, “quite significant bonds and insurance requirements” throughout the build, and public liability insurance for the life of the dam. 

A Community Liaison Group has been established in accordance with the conditions of the resource consent issued to WIL in August 2020 by the Environment Court.