A hearing set for tomorrow will hear submissions on a new Dunedin City Council water bylaw which has angered some groups and individuals over access and blocking off popular running and walking areas in the Silverpeaks.
The council wants to limit access to protect the water quality.
The council manages the water supply network to protect public health and safety, and to manage efficiently.
The new bylaw had to be introduced to align with the provisions of the Local Government Water Services Act and the Water Services Act.
Land Search and Rescue said in its submission it assisted members of the public multiple times each year in what was now a controlled part of the Silverstream area.
Any banning of people will cause problems, the submission states.
‘‘People would access the area regardless of regulatory status.
‘‘Fully closing the area to public access risks unintended and serious public safety consequences.’’
People would move to more remote or hazardous terrain, increasing risk and potentially worsening rescue response times and outcomes.
People who need help in an area they should not be, may delay or avoid calling for assistance due to fear of enforcement, increasing the risk of serious injury or death, the submission states.
‘‘There was a well-documented history of people experiencing mental distress entering Silverstream and later requiring assistance.
‘‘These individuals are unlikely to be deterred by access restrictions and a punitive framework may increase harm by discouraging early intervention.
‘‘LandSAR has historically trained in the Silverstream area, reflecting the reality that incidents occur there and are likely to continue.
‘‘Preventing training access in an area with a known rescue history undermines public safety.’’
Obtaining a council approval to use these established tracks would be onerous and unnecessary — from a water quality protection point of view, submitters said.
Three Peaks mountain race director Lydia Pattillo said the 56km trail race in the annual event traversed a large portion of the Silverstream catchment.
‘‘To lose public access will be an incredible shame to a burgeoning trail-running community within Dunedin.’’
Former three peaks race director Steve Tripp wondered how pigs, goats and cattle were going to be controlled in the area if people’s access was going to be limited.
The council recommended classification for the area be changed from restricted to controlled.
Tramping was allowed in a controlled area and that would be extended to other activities such as running.
The proposed bylaw’s classification of the catchment land at the end of El Dorado Track would mean a permit was required if entering it to get to Te Papanui Conservation Park.
Those against the controlled classification included Fish & Game and the Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club.
‘‘As the conservation park has unrestricted access for walking, mountainbiking, four-wheel driving, horse trekking, hunting and cross-country skiing, we submit that walkers being allowed to access the council water reserve will create minimal to nil impact to the catchment area,’’ the club said in its submission.
Fish & Game said access to the park fell within a controlled catchment and access would require written approval.
Council staff said they would come up with a two-tier system, in which the first tier would involve a same-day automatic online approval for on-track walking access across the catchment, while the second tier would be a more involved process.
Council policy analyst Katherine Quill said the Deep Stream catchment was a critical operational asset supplying a significant proportion of Dunedin’s drinking water.
