Calls to review water rules to tackle dry creeks

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Potential solutions to stop creeks from drying out and killing fish due to low water levels from the Ashburton River have been presented to Environment Canterbury.

Farmers and landowners pleaded for help from the regional council in March after Greenstreet Creek slowly dried up, causing the death of fish and eels.

At the time, farmers who saw the creek drying out couldn't get permission to divert water to stream until ECan used emergency powers to let them.

It was the solution they had always used until the new minimum flow restrictions came into effect last year, designed to keep more water in the Ashburton/Hakatere River.

In a meeting last week, Hekeao/Hinds Water Enhancement Trust executive director Dr Brett Painter presented some potential solutions to the Ashburton Water Zone Committee.

The trust runs water enhancement projects across the Hekeao/Hinds Plains, including New Zealand’s largest managed groundwater rehabilitation project.

Painter, a former environmental infrastructure project leader for Environment Canterbury for 11 years, suggested a raft of possible solutions and “shadow consents” for the Greenstreet area.

He looked at “piggybacking onto existing water distribution and storage infrastructure” and existing water take consents to provide flows to maintain aquatic life during dry periods.

He also noted the use of “compliance discretion for trials” – trialling solutions without the need for consents - being something that could be considered.

ECan director of science Dr Tim Davie said the fundamental issue is consents can’t be granted that go against the minimum flows.

“We are still bound by minimum flows set out in the plan.”

ECan zone manager Jennifer Rochford acknowledged Painter’s suggestions were exactly the conversations the regional council wanted to have but she was concerned about rushing into an engineering solution based on a dry summer.

“We are not putting anything off the table.”

There are other options to consider to prepare for if the river goes dry and an expensive engineering solution may not be required in normal circumstances, she said.

“This is really a decision for the community as the cost will be borne there.”

The Zone Committee will be urging ECan to look at the options presented at their meeting last week to continue the conversation.

Greenstreet farmer Darryl Butterick also presented a letter from the friends of Greenstreet Creek asking to work alongside ECan on a long-term solution.

“No-one wishes to see the creek run dry again.

“We seek to work alongside ECan to establish a sustainable and workable process whereby the creek can be kept alive as well as keeping the appropriate flows in the Ashburton River and O’Shea’s Creek.”

They requested a working group be formed to monitor Greenstreet waterways and take appropriate action as soon as required.