CONTROL OF NATURAL WATER

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31802, 5 October 1968, Page 10

CONTROL OF NATURAL WATER

Under the Water and Soil Conservation Act, 1967, the Crown now has the sole right of control of all natural water and any uses made of it.

Natural water, with few exceptions, is all water on or in the ground, whether liquid, steam, ice or snow, and extends as far as the outer limits of New Zealand territorial sea waters. Reasonable requirements of water for domestic, stock, and fire-fighting needs may be lawfully taken under the Act, as also the diverting, taking or using (except for discharges) of sea water. Such uses need not be recorded. Regional water boards will investigate and record all significant sources of natural water within their areas, its quality and its availability. Any uses of natural water which do not come under the above terms must be recorded by your regional water board. All discharges into natural water (sewage, stock effluent, industrial wastes) must be recorded by your regional water board. If you wish to start using natural water in any way an application must be made to your regional water board. If you have been lawfully taking natural water since before September 9, 1966, for purposes other than the above reasonable requirements and you wish to have that right continued, notice only of such action must be given to your regional water board before April 1, 1969. An application for any such action beginning after September 9, 1966, must be made to your board immediately. All permits allowing discharges into classified waters are still valid and such action may continue without fresh notice or re-application. However discharges into unclassi-

fied waters now require a grant from your regional water board and application must be made immediately. All classified waters will be published but if you are not sure you should contact your regional water board. Following receipt of an application for wafer use, the regional water board will publish that application. Objections to its being allowed must be made in writing to the board concerned within 28 days of the public notification. The decision of the board will be made known to the applicant and any objectors, together with the reasons for the decision. Any appeal against a decision must then be made within 28 days of the decision being posted to the applicant or the objectors. These appeals must be made to the Town and Country Planning Appeal Board, the decision of which is final. A pamphlet explaining “what you should know about water use” says that further information may be obtained from the local catchment authority, which is the regional water board, or the nearest office of the Ministry of Works, which will be the acting regional water board if there is no catchment authority in the area.