The commissioning would continue in the coming few weeks, delivering water to 85 farmers in the Kakanui Valley and areas south of the Kakanui River south of Oamaru, 10 years after the initial scheme was opened.
North Otago Irrigation Company chairman Leigh Hamilton said an extra 110km of pipe had been installed in this phase, extending the total commissioned area to potentially 50,000ha.
Unlike the first stage when there were large scale dairy conversions, Hamilton said shareholding farmers had used the water in small proportions, mainly sheep, beef and arable farmers either boosting existing schemes or watering small areas of their farms before expanding later.
“There have not been wholesale dairy conversions as in the past.”
The scheme sourced water from the Waitaki River, pumping it from the southern bank into holding ponds in the surrounding hills where it was then gravity fed into the valley.
The first stage involved installing 85km of pipes and Hamilton said having the scheme over-built provided capacity for expansion within the catchment and allowed farmers to buy more shares.
It also allowed farmers to extend their access to water during the season provided it was economically and environmentally sustainable.
Hamilton said the final commissioning should be completed in the next few weeks.
