A hearing of submissions on proposed changes to a water allocation plan for the Waitaki River is unlikely to start before the middle of next year.
On Monday, Environment Canterbury (ECan) had 441 submissions listed on its website, but that was updated overnight to 549.
ECan has put forward a proposed change to the Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan, prepared in 2005 by a Government-appointed board. The biggest change is to the minimum flow.
That has prompted submissions from throughout New Zealand - including many who were among about 1200 submitters to the original plan in 2005 - and even some from overseas.
Submissions are still being analysed and a summary will be publicly notified later this year when further submissions will be called for.
Neither dates for hearing submissions nor the venue have been decided, but Oamaru is a likely venue.
The hearing will be conducted before a three-person panel with independent commissioners who have experience in planning, hydrology, cultural matters and the law. They are being selected.
The original allocation plan was prepared in 2005 under special legislation, prompted by Meridian Energy's Project Aqua power scheme plan on the lower Waitaki River.
The plan changes include:
• A proposal to lower the minimum flow from 150cumecs to 102cumecs for periods over summer;
• clarification of resource consents to use water approved before the plan was prepared;
• altering minimum flows in existing resource consents;
• and setting aside water for projects such as restoring flows of the Wainono Lagoon (east of Waimate) to enhance mahinga kai (traditional food sources) using water from irrigation schemes.
