Waimakariri water plans for plains

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 4

Waimakariri water plans for plains

By

HEATHER CHALMERS

The possibility of using water from the Waimakariri River to supplement flows in the Waimakariri and Ashley Plains areas will be discussed at a meeting called by the Rangiora District Council. The meeting has been prompted by last year’s drought during which farmers had problems obtaining sufficient quantities of surface water for irrigation, said the district engineer, Mr Gareth James.

Farmers using surface water were particularly hard hit with irrigation bans or restrictions being enforced by the North Canterbury Catchment Board.

Water shortages were not new in the district, although last year was more severe than previous droughts, he said.

"In late 1988 it must have been a source of frustration to farmers to cross the State highway one motorway bridge and see the Waimakariri River almost continuously

in flood, while the surface waters in the plains dried up. “How useful that floodwater could have been if it could have been used to reinforce the natural water in the AshleyWaimakariri Plains area.” Several options could be considered for diverting water from the Waimakariri River, including improving the present race system, recharging surface flows in the neighbouring Ashley River and Eyre River and recharging the plains aquifers. These options could be carried out separately, or in conjunction with each other, he said. A disadvantage of direct feeding irrigation races and rivers was that the Waimakariri River’s flow would also decrease in the summer, at the time when supplementary water was most needed. However, if the groundwater aquifers were recharged in spring this would take a few months to travel from the hills to the sea and so would be

available in the summer. Although the idea of diverting water from the Waimakariri River was not new, the drought had renewed interest in the idea, said Mr James. “We have to see if there is enough support to take it further.” Representatives from interested parties such as neighbouring councils, the catchment board, the Ministry of Agriculture, Federated Farmers, existing irrigation groups and the Waimakariri-Ashley Water Board would be invited to the meeting. Initial discussion was likely to centre on a catchment board study completed 12 to 18 months ago on the possibility of developing soil and water resources on the plains. Later decisions would have to be made on whether the project was technically feasible, its cost, and whether it would have sufficient benefit for farmers. A date for the meeting has not yet been set.