Surrender of water rights

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34099, 11 March 1976, Page 10

Surrender of water rights

The Ministry of Works and Development has surrendered water rights granted in 1972 for construction of a lake-level control system at Lake Te Anau.

Work on the lake-control structure was completed last year —and the water rights have been relinquished because they are no longer requird.

"The system of issuing water rights for a specific purpose is proving a useful medium between construction projects and conservation interests." said the Director of Water and Soil Conservation, (Mr A. W. Gibson). The fact that rights were cancelled ahead of time by a recipient indicated that the system was working, and that conditions attached to water rights granted were being respected, he said.

In 1972, the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority granted rights to the Minister of Works and Development for the taking of water from the LJpukerora River, near Te Anau, for gravel washing and concrete mixing. A dis-

charge was also allowed. This was over a four-year period for the building of a control structure to regulate the flow of water down the upper Waiau River. the natural outlet from Lake Te Anau to Lake Manapouri. Water rights were issued about the same time for a second lake-control structure. at Mararoa. on the lower Waiau River between Lake Manapouri and its coastal outlet at Te Waewae Bay near Invercargill. The Mararoa weir will control any excess flow from Lake Manapouri. However, it will not often be used because the normal flow is diverted through the lake’s West Arm power station. and discharged through a 10km tailrace tunnel to Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound. A Ministry of Works team is installing the main gate on the Mararoa weir, work which is expected to take about three months.

An overflow spillway, upstream and downstream channel alignment, and final landscaping will see the completion of work af Te Anau towards the end of this year.