Wild rivers to remain under Water Authority

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 11

Wild rivers to remain under Water Authority

Wellington reporter Declarations of wild and scenic river' status will continue to be made under water and soil legislation and not by the new Department of Conservation. The Minister of Works, Mr Colman, said the pending reorganisation of environmental administration seemed to have given rise to some misunderstanding about the future administration of wild and scenic rivers. Their listing and management would continue

as before, he told the annual conference of the Catchment Authorities’ Association at Gisborne. Water and soil conservation legislation proposed for later this year provided for two mechanisms to protect water bodies with special amenity value. A schedule of protected waters would provide interim protection to a number of lakes and rivers, and possibly to geothermal fields as well, Mr Colman said. A protected waters assessment com-

mittee would report to the Government on June 1 on which lakes and rivers merited inclusion in the schedule. National water conservation order procedures would be streamlined. The National Water and Soil Conservation Authority would consider applications for orders, as it did now, but a wider group of applicants would be allowed.