Overview - proposed irrigation and storage scheme

Central Plains Water Trust has applied for a number of resource consents relating to the construction and operation of a large-scale irrigation scheme. The applicants propose irrigating 60,000 hectares of land between the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers, an area stretching from the Malvern foothills to State Highway One.

The proposal includes a 55 metre high dam containing a 12 km² storage lake. Water would be distributed from the lake via a 10 km tunnel and an extensive network of distribution canals directly to irrigators.

Under the proposed scheme, water would be abstracted at a rate of up to 40 cumecs (cubic metres per second) from each of the rivers through 2 intakes on the Waimakariri River and one on the Rakaia.

Central Plains Water Trust has been granted requiring authority status by the Minister for the Environment, enabling it to apply to local councils to ‘designate’ or set aside land that it needs to set up infrastructure.

Applicant reports on proposed conditions

Evidence of Helen Shaw (pdf 163 kB) - 19 March 2010
Helen Shaw - Appendix 1 (pdf 301 kB) - 19 March 2010

Applicant report on proposed Environment Canterbury conditions (pdf 29 kB) - 18 February 2010
Applicant report on proposed SDC conditions (pdf 14 kB) - 18 February 2010

Environment Canterbury proposed conditions

Reporting officer’s summary of conditions (pdf 531 kB) - 5 March 2010
Appendix 1 - Memo from Maurice Duncan – Waimakariri flows (pdf 30 kB)
Appendix 2 – Memo from Adrian Meredith (pdf 66 kB)
Appendix 3 – Memo from Johanna Abbott (pdf 25 kB)
Appendix 4 – Memo from Carl Hanson (pdf 26 kB)
Appendix 5 – Memo from Howard Williams (pdf 16 kB)
Appendix 6 – Memo from Maurice Duncan – bywash discharges (pdf 27 kB)

Proposed conditions (pdf 39 kB) - 17 February 2010
Appendix 1 - new consent numbers (pdf 8 kB)
Appendix 2 - recommended conditions (pdf 294 kB) - updated 18 February 2010
Appendix 3 - summary of agreement (pdf 20 kB) - updated 18 February 2010
Plan CRC102330 access to river bed (pdf 159 kB) - 2 March 2010
Plan CRC102331 access to river bed (pdf 159 kB) - 2 March 2010
Appendix A - list of bird species referred to in Schedule 1: Condition (6)(d) (pdf 2 kB) - 2 March 2010

SDC proposed conditions

SDC proposed conditions (pdf 536 kB) - 17 February 2010

Latest updates

• 8 March 2010 - Submitter evidence for hearing resumption 24 March 2010
• 14 October 2009 - Nitrate report summaries & presentations
• 14 October 2009 - Hearing schedule for 12-15 October 2009 updated
• Timetable for hearing resumption:
  October 12-16, 2009 - Holiday Inn on Avon (356 Oxford Terrace) - 9.30 am start
• 02 October 2009 - Nitrates report
• 01 October 2009 - Submitters’ comments for the October 2009 hearing resumption are now available.
• 28 September 2009 - S42A Supplementary Reports for Hearing Resumption October 2009
• 28 September 2009 - Please note that the Report on Nitrate Issues will be filed on 2 October 2009. The Commissioners have agreed to this extension.
• 08 September 2009 - Supplementary Information provided by the Applicant for Hearing Resumption October 2009
• 14 July 2009 -  Minute 10 of the Commissioners (pdf 524 kB)
• 7 July 2009 -  Minute 9 of the Commissioners (pdf 1.0 MB)
• 24 June 2009 -  Minute 8 of the Commissioners (pdf 50 kB)
• 20 May 2009 -  Minute 6 (pdf 128 kB) and  Minute 7 (pdf 333 kB) of the Commissioners - Decision as to continuance of the hearing