Saturday, March 30, 2024

ALTERNATIVE VIEW: Funding water storage sensible

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The good news last week was the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund announcement of almost $40 million in grants towards water storage and sustainability in Hawke’s Bay. That came hard on the heels of $800,000 for Wairarapa to further develop plans for water storage. 
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Announcing the Wairarapa grant the under-secretary for regional economic development Fletcher Tabuteau said the funding is to unlock environmentally sustainable growth in Wairarapa.

The scheme plans to store 18 million cubic litres of water and I fully support it. 

I find much of the debate on water storage bizarre.

We have a natural product in water. It is an internationally scarce resource yet we let the vast majority, 93%, run out to sea.

Whenever anyone suggests we store water we have a vocal army hysterically opposing any initiative.

I found the opposition to the Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke’s Bay verging on rabid yet we allow a company to take 1.179m cubic metres a year from the Hawke’s Bay aquifers to bottle and sell as flavoured drinks. Where’s the opposition?

In Canterbury there is a strong anti-water storage sentiment yet they allow millions of litres to be bottled and exported.

Aren’t we better off using the water to grow crops in New Zealand?

The Tasman District around Nelson has been in the news recently.

Initially, it was about fires ravaging the tinder dry countryside. Then we were told of a massive drought in the area.

There are water restrictions. Urban users were rationed along with farms and orchards.

We were then told the possibility of water tankers in the streets is fast approaching.

The message was that the situation for affected businesses could be dire. Under a cease take order the use of water by business would be prohibited.

The reality is that if the Waimea Dam was operating there wouldn’t be a problem and I haven’t heard any opposition to that lately. 

The story of the Waimea Dam is interesting. The good news is construction is about to start.

The cost increased to $105m, up from $76m. My view is $105m is a small price to pay for security of water to both the Waimea plains and the city of Nelson.

The increase encouraged the council to reject the plan last year until a mysterious person or organisation came up with the shortfall.

It was independently estimated the cost of not having the dam was over a billion dollars so investing just 10% of that to future-proof the district was a no-brainer.

That there was any opposition surprised me.

Forest and Bird were opposed.

A fringe organisation, Our Action Station, also vehemently opposed the dam. I couldn’t take them seriously. 

Someone then suggested using storage ponds rather than the dam. Waimea Irrigators described the idea as ludicrous and I agree.

The Waimea Dam came about as a result of the single-minded focus of local MP Nick Smith. He has persevered with the project for 17 years and is to be congratulated.

The benefits to the region are huge and largely dispel the myths of the anti-brigade.

The cry in the past has been that dams mean cows and that isn’t the case.

With the dam the area of apples will increase by 960 hectares, grapes by 200ha, berries by 150ha and kiwifruit by 90ha.

I didn’t realise the Waimea Plains is the world’s boysenberry capital with 30% of total production coming from the area.

There are just two local dairy farms.

The economic benefits are compelling with an increase in local GDP for the first two years of $55m and thereafter between $78m and $107m depending on allocation.

A region would be stupid to ignore that.

Additional benefits include security of water for homes in the region, healthy rivers, a robust economy and increased employment.

We were told the Waimea River is unhealthy in the dry and the dam will greatly improve water quality by maintaining flows.

Going to the various websites is interesting. The local business sector has done its homework and compiled compelling evidence for the project.

My issue is that I found no opposition to the initiative that I could take seriously. With global warming we need water storage and we need it now.

While I congratulate the proponents of the Waimea Dam for a good job well done we need a lot more.

The Hawke’s Bay water grants are a strong step forward as is the Wairarapa water initiative.

Both projects need to be encouraged to a successful conclusion sooner rather than later and the Provincial Growth Fund grants will help with that.

Waimea was lucky with Smith’s perseverance. It would be good to see other areas enjoying similar support.

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