Friday, March 29, 2024

Storing water more than irrigation

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Looking harder at the benefits of water storage might help win the hearts and minds of New Zealanders more effectively than simply pushing the benefits of irrigation, Irrigation New Zealand chairwoman Nicky Hyslop says.
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A year after what proved to be an acrimonious election stoush between irrigators and the Labour Party there has been some acknowledgement on both sides of the debate that better communication and co-operation is needed, she said.

For INZ that might involve taking a step back from the “I” word in the organisation’s title and better explaining the social, environmental and economic benefits water storage can deliver and that irrigation is only one outcome. 

She points to the community benefits promised by the stalled Hunter Downs project in terms of domestic water supply to Waimate and Timaru. 

“And there are the promised benefits coming out of the Rangitata Diversion Race Management’s Klondyke proposal, environmentally taking pressure off the aquifer from bore supply and run-of-river take. Klondyke has been able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to land stewardship.”

The 53 million cubic metre proposal has recently been given the green light by independent commissioners granting 22 consents relating to the storage pond. 

The intense environmental scrutiny it got means it will boosting local stream flows, providing flora and fauna habitat and supporting recreational activity on what amounts to the largest storage area in Australasia.

Hyslop said having a broader spectrum of uses in mind when developing such schemes can only help get communities on board with them. 

She acknowledged some reasonable questions have been asked about the outcome of projects and the industry has to accept responsibility that not everything was done to best practice in the past.

She is also aware getting better public acceptance will help project backers get their schemes over the line in Wellington if the Government has confidence the voting public supports any positive steps it might take in supporting projects.

Hyslop is heartened the primary industry is now working more closely across sectors on projects relating to water quality and more efficient water management.

INZ has worked since 2011 to establish tight consent conditions alongside farm environment plans for new irrigation developments while all schemes are also implementing nutrient management monitoring to reflect individual resource consent conditions.

It is refreshing its strategy that aims to better publicise what the core standards are. It also intends to make accessible, transparent data available on scheme performance.

“We know we have a lot of good news stories out there but the public also want to see the numbers behind these too.”

She agrees there has been some battle fatigue among all parties after a combative decade of rapid industry growth as environmental standards struggle to catch up.

She describes relations with the Labour Government as relatively positive. 

However, some concerns remain about whether Government policy will override regional efforts on nutrient management.

She accepts the Government is about to seek greater consistency in how regional councils achieve goals in water quality but is concerned a rule set in Wellington might override the controls set regionally that reflect individual catchment issues.

Hyslop acknowledges the challenges facing irrigation scheme backers now the Crown Irrigation Investment Fund has dried up.

As with public perceptions she believes stepping back and considering storage schemes on a more holistic, multi-use basis might be a way forward for public-private partnerships in future. 

As rural communities work to upgrade drinking water quality, for example, storage schemes might mean quality water is a funded outcome in that scheme.

“There will always be ongoing issues on the cost versus economic return. It’s a huge commitment from farmers that puts them out of their comfort zone but the history of schemes are that uptake will initially be slow but after five years they often reach capacity.”

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