More water needed for horticultural development

Press, 21 April 1984, Page 16

More water needed for horticultural development

PA Dunedin If new horticultural land is to be developed in the lower Manuherikia Valley, a larger and more assured water supply will be needed, according to a Ministry of Works and Development report on irrigation options in the valley. At the same time, the report, which has been sent out to local irrigation committees and councils for comment, makes it clear that a new scheme for the whole valley, estimated to cost $81.7 million, is out of the question on economic

grounds. All reports on the Manuherikia between 1972 and 1979 were based on the principle of a greatly increased storage capacity at falls dam-feeding into a high-level race which could then feed the whole valley. The 1982 audit showed this to be uneconomic, which led to the consideration of options providing a lower level of service, but a reasonable return on investment, the report says. It adds that while the high-level dam and race were not likely to be an

economic proposition, they were retained in a modified form as an option for comparison purposes. “An increase in storage capacity could still be a desirable objective, although scaled down to a more modest level,” it says. The report makes it clear that the present scheme is not capable of coping with new horticultural land in the lower valley, and if it was to be developed, a larger and assured water supply must be put in place.