A new power scheme should not be granted water from the lower Waitaki River, the Lower Waitaki River Management Society told the Environment Court in Christchurch yesterday.
The society completed its case opposing the Meridian Energy Ltd north bank tunnel concept scheme between the Waitaki dam and Stonewall.
Today, two interested parties in the appeal, Moeraki resident Dugald MacTavish and Waitaki First, will present their closing submissions.
The new scheme would take up to 260cumecs of water from the river, leaving average monthly variable flows of between 110 and 150cumecs.
That does not comply with the 150cumecs minimum environmental flow set by the Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan, prepared in 2005.
The society's counsel, Camilla Owen, said the adverse effects on the environment would include the encroachment of vegetation, loss of wetlands, reduced salmon spawning habitat, loss of salmon-angling opportunities, reduced connection from the river to groundwater and tributaries, reduced access for waterfowl hunters, loss of habitat, loss of recreational amenity, greater algae and didymo growth.
Meridian proposed adaptive management for effects which might emerge once the scheme was built.
Ms Owen said that was not possible unless significant alterations were made to the amount of water the scheme took.
The scheme did not comply with the Waitaki water plan and, if granted, would effectively change the rules for all.
The plan's integrity would be undermined, particularly the 150cumecs minimum flow for the river.
Ms Owen said the society viewed the plan as the current legal contract agreed to by the community.
The society was concerned the scheme explicitly contravened a fundamental aspect of the plan - the minimum flow - and cumulatively affected the river to a significant degree.
It would further degrade the river and would create a precedent.
Other applicants could view Meridian's consents for the scheme as "a positive signal" for them to apply for a flow lower than the plan's 150cumecs.
Reduced water quality, reduction of braids, reduced flows, reduced flushing flows and flood flows and loss of wetlands were the results of the new scheme on top of problems the river already faced.
It was neither economically efficient to build the scheme, nor was it in the national interest.
In the interests of the river, in-stream values, the lower Waitaki community and the society, Ms Owen said consents should not be granted.
