Page 60 Advertisements Column 4

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 60

Public Notices PUBLIC NOTICE FOR THE PROPOSED SUBSTITUTION OF THE LEVELS PLAINS IRRIGATION SCHEME

PURSUANT TO SECTION 202 and section 222 of the Public Works Act 1981, the Minister of . Works and Development, having received a resolution on a proposed scheme for Irrigation of the land in the Levels Plains area delineated below, hereby gives public notice that: (1) The land to be Included In the proposed Irrigation district Is described as being all those areas In the Canterbury Land District, Strathallan County, as described In the First Schedule. (2) The application of Part XIX (Irrigation) of the Public Works Act 1981 to the existing Levels Plains Irrigation Scheme shall be in two parts; (I) The period during the phasing In of the renewed scheme and the termination of the existing scheme, to be called the “transition period” during which the off-farm works are substituted to commence May 1, 1986. (II) The operation of the renewed scheme after the transition period, shall commence the season for which the Minister declares the; supply of water available to the whole district. (3) The scheme works shall comprise: (I) Off-farm Works: (a) Headworks: The headworks utilise the existing structures built for the original Levels Plains Irrigation Scheme. Works will Involve repairing and renewing the existing facilities, and upgrading the operation by automating the control of the amount of water taken In from the Opihl River and bypassed back to it. Provision will be made for the protection of fish within the scheme. (b) Distribution Works: These works will be the alteration or renewal of the existing open race supply system and the provision of wells. Wells will be provided, or where suitable (at the sole discretion of the Minister of Works and Development) existing wells purchased or leased and their use managed as an integral part of the scheme. Off-farm works are funded Initially by the Crown with 30 per cent of the cost together with interest on balance owing recovered through water charges. The capital value of $lBO,OOO of the existing assets Is Included as part of the off-farm works capital costs. (II) On-Farm Works: For the Levels Plains Irrigation Scheme these works shall be for the renewal, upgrading, modifying, changing and Installation of on-farm water distribution and application systems As are appropriate for the efficient distribution and application of water for irrigation in the Levels Plains Irrigation Scheme. These works presently qualify for a Rural Bank and Finance Corporation Loan with deferral of principal and interest repayments for up to three years, subject to approval of an on-farm development plan by the Minister of Works and Development. (4) Water Charges: The accumulated deficit in the operation account will be written off on May 1, 1986 at the commencement of the transition period. The water charges shall commence with the transition which is planned to take five years. Estimates of the charges are set out in the Second Schedule. Charges will be reviewed annually and if necessary adjusted to take account of actual costs. (I) Transition Period Charges: The water charges to apply for the transition period shall comprise the transition period basic charge and the transition period water availability charge. The transition period basic charge per hectare of land Hable for the charge shall for the first season be $2.00 (two dollars). The transition period water availability charge per unit rate of supply of water allocated shall for the initial season be the charge that would have applied per hectare of land for a contract supply of water had the renewal of the scheme not commenced. The charge for 1986/ 87 shall be $25.20 per hectare. (II) Annual Charges The water charges to apply from the end of the transition period shall be called the annual charges and shall comprise the basic charge and the water availability charge as determined in the Public ’Works Act 1981 5.209 and 5.211. The basic charge repays the scheme’s portion of the capital together with Interest on balance owing over the repayment period. The water availability charge repays the scheme’s portion of the capital together with interest on balance owing over the repayment period, plus the operation and maintenance costs. (5) For the purposes of calculating the “transition period basic charge” and the “transition period water availability charge” the repayment period shall be forty (40) years. The number of seasons of supply from the date of notification of commencement of supply shall be thirty five (35). (6) Allocation: On any day in the irrigation season one unit of water shall be the volume of water able to be taken from the Opihl River as permitted by the Opihl River Water Management Plan for that day multiplied by 7 and divided by the gross irrigable area in hectares served by the river intake, rounded to the nearest ten units and expressed as cubic metres of water. One unit rate of supply shall be one unit of water per week, which has a maximum value of 400 m:/week/hectare, and will be reduced as 'allocation Is restricted. (1) Transition Period: (a) For land over 8 ha the allocation shall be one unit rate of supply for each hectare of land. (b) For land under 8 ha water will be allocated on the basis of one unit of water for each hectare of land following a request in writing by the occupier provided that water has been supplied to the land in the 5 seasons prior to the Order in Council. Other land under 8 ha may have water supplied by special agreement with the Minister. (ii) The Renewed Scheme: (a) For land over 8 ha the allocation shall be one unit of water for each hectare of irrigable land. (b) For land under 8 ha water will be allocated by special agreement with the Minister. (7) Conditions of Supply (1) During the Transition Period (a) For all land that has taken water “on contract" or “on demand” within the 5 seasons prior to the Order in Council. One unit rate of supply will be supplied for each hectare of land, (all water supply “contract” or “on demand” has been supplied under an agreement between the Crown and the owners or occupiers of land within the irrigation district under the authority of section 277 of the Public Works Act 1928.) (b) For land not having taken a supply. (i) For land 8 ha and over one unit rate of supply will be provided for each hectare of land on which the on-farm works are completed. (11) For land under 8 ha a supply may be made available subject to terms and conditions determined by the Minister. (2) The Renewed Scheme (a) For land 8 ha and over one unit rate of supply will be supplied for each hectare of land on which the on-farm works are completed. Completed on-farm works shall be application systems that take water from a scheme turnout specifically provided for that method. For example, a spray supply to be approved must be taken from a spray sump. Uncontrolled methods of application, (for example, wild flooding) will not be approved methods. Existing on-farm works that comply with these requirements will be classified as completed works. (b) For land under 8 ha a supply may be made available subject to terms and conditions determined by the Minister. (c) Land irrigated from groundwater may draw water to the installed capacity of the pumps subject to such restrictions that may be required to maintain the groundwater at a viable level. (8) Land Liable to Pay Water Charges: All land 8 ha and over shall (a) During the Transition Period: (1) Pay the transition period basic charge on each hectare of land occupied. OR If water has been supplied in the five years prior to the Order in Council pay the transition period water availability charge on the allocation. (b) For the Duration of the Renewed Scheme: (i) Pay the basic charge on the irrigable area of each property. OR Where a water availability agreement is entered into pay the water availability charge for each unit rate of supply of water allocated. For areas of land 8 ha and greater for which the occupier does not wish to enter into a water availability agreement i.e., does not wish to take a supply of water, the National Authority shall determine the irrigable area taking into consideration any request made in writing by the occupier. (9) General conditions of allocation and supply that shall apply during and after the transition period: (1) Due allowance will be made for the equitable redistribution of any surplus water. (il) The only grounds on which the Minister will consider a reduction in charges for a diminished or reduced supply shall be a failure of the off-farm works. (ill) For areas developed for border-dyking, the allocation will be delivered by a rostered supply.

NUMBER ‘THE PRESS’ CLASSIFIED ADS . .. THE WONDER WORKERS phone 792-440 anytime |,„Q„