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333.916 2099375 OPI {"¡{?Ë'sË ITEË :4ryffÍ-;:Ê, ¿ z- r .^ rr_-. 1..;: ''j \'i:la \''- :.[ .'';. -" OprHr - TEMUKA CE, -.j,AL LtBRAFIY RIvER & roil[lil|iluililüililuüili' CaTcHMENT lssuEs DecE[¡gER 1990 A canterbury Regional council document to facilitate public_participqtion in the preparation of the Op¡h¡- Temuka Gatchment Management plan. ¡ Thls document has been prepare<t by the following contributors: Tony Dons (Pro¡ect Leader) Jeromy Cuff. Bichard de Joux Robert Hall Itlalcolm Miller Graham Sevicke-Jones Dav¡d Slr¡nger Mahia nga mahi kaua e korero Deeds not words CONTENTS 1. ¡NTBODUCTION Page 1.1 Purpose of this Document 1 1.2 The Catchment Area 1 1.3 Purpose of the Catchment Management Plan 2 1.4 Explanation of Fôrmat 3 1.5 Timetable 4 2. ISSUES AND OPTIONS 2.1 Opihi River Lagoon 5 2.2 Opihi and Temuka River Low Flows 12 2.3 Opihi and Temuka Water Quality 18 2.4 Use and Management of Groundwater 23 2.5 Land Use, River Flows and Water Quality 28 2.6 Conservation of Wetlands 35 2.7 Best Use of the Water Resource 37 Augmentation 40 2.8 Opihi -42 2.9 Flood Hazard r- 2.10 Multiple Use of the Riverbed 46 3. PUBL¡C PARTICIPAT¡ON AND SUMMARY 49 4. APPENDICES 4.1 AcknowledgementsandReferences 50 4.2 Bibliography 50 4.3 Contact Names and Addresses 51 4.4 Glossary of Terms 54 r l 1. lntroduction (4) To identify the opportunities and cons{raints of resources and their uses. 1.1 Purpose of this Document (5) To establish and make available to all, the objectives, of the Canterbury Regional Council, in order that interested parties can seek to influence The Opihi and Temuka river systems are short of water in most surnmets. Some parts them. of the Temuka River have poor water quality. The Opihi River Lagoon suffers poor water quality with the river mo Groundwater is a lirnited Submissions are invited, either in writing or orally, and should be delivered to: resource, wetlands have dimin prone to.flooding. Land within the catchment is subject ng into the river system. The Project Leader Tony Dons For these reasons and olhers the Ganterbury Regional Council needs to determine Canterbury Regional Council and promote the best ways of using the land and water resource for everyone's P O Box 550 75 Church Street benefít. The Canterbury Regional Gouncil and formerly the South Canterbury Tmaru Phone (03) 688 9069 Catchment Board has managed the uses of tho catchment by, for example, requiring Fax (03) 688-9067 waler rights for using water, apply¡ng restriclions on water use during summer, physically opening the river mouth and instituting flood and erosion conlrol schemes. The South Canterbury Catchment Board prepared a water management plan for the by Opihi catchment (excluding the Ter,nuka) ¡n 1984 but this plan expires this year. A @ draft plan for the Temuka was released in September 1989 and submissions were received. lt is now appropriate to review the problems in the whole catchment, Following the consideration of submissions the Draft Opihi-Temuka Catchment determine people's aspirations for using lhe land and water and prepare a plan lor the Management Plan will be prepared. Public submissions will again be invited on the luture use of the Opihi and Temuka rivers and catchment. The publication of this Draft Management Plan. The timetable for preparing the Management Plan appears lssues and Options report and the invitation for anyone to comment on it is the f¡rst step later in this section. in preparing a plan. An important proposal affecting the Opihi River is the proposal to augment Opihi River 1.2 The Gatchment flows either by transferring water lrom Lake Tekapo or by building storage dams in lhe Opihi catchment itself. This proposal could add up to 6 m3/s of llow to the river during The calchment area is depicted in Figures 1 and 2. The waters of the Opihi River summer, Added flows would provide many benefits including more water for flowing ínto the river lagoon come from the following sub catchments: irrigation, improved low flow waler quality ¡n the Op¡h¡ Fliver, guaranteed minimum flows and oppodunities for development of waler dependent industries. At present the Sub Catchment Area (ha) o/Jotal Catchment Opihi Augmentation Society has not yet determined lhe specific proposal that it wants to pursus. The proposal could however affect many of the object¡yes and options in Opíhi 62,857 26 this report. Apart from section 2.8 the objectives and options in this report have Þeen Tengawai 64,192 26 written assuming no augmentation of river flows. Opuha 48,811 20 Levels Plains & Seadown 8,702 3 The Canterbury Regional Council was lormed in November 1989 and is responsible for regional planning and management of the land, water and coast. lt is the stated Opihi 184.562 objective of the Council to involve the community ¡n the preparation of plans. The Council is seeking to achieve community conf¡dence in its resource management Waihi I decisions, by inlorming and involving the community. The community is then able to Te Moana lTemuka 61 .101 effectively mon¡toI the Council's objectives and maks a contribution to its performance. (including Kakahu) l Purposes of this document: Total Area 245.663 100 (1) To identify the land and water management issues to be resolved through the Opihi-Temuka Catchment Management Pian. There are five areas with¡n the catchmenl, with distinctive topography, climate, geology, soils, vegetation, drainage and erosion characteristics. These areas are lhe {21 To provide and make available information to the public. Coast, Rivers, Plains, Downlands, Hill and High Country. (3) To facilitate and encourage partic¡pat¡on in the drafting ol the Opihi- Temuka Calchment Manag€menl Plan. Coasl (10) Establish the means for ongoing evaluation ot the etfectiveness of of monies' which are low obiectives, policies, procedures and expenditure The coast is characterised by the alluvium beach and swamp deposits Rainfall is 550mm per year' fy¡ng ããO suO¡ect to coastal eiosion. Statutory Bas¡s for the Management Plan Rivers The Canterbury Regional Council has the delegated author¡Îy to administer the following resource managemenl acts: The Biver system Y steep grade of the river, uooer catchmenl - Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941 ãiírìän iàlo*ing to th€ sea' r pio"i"ion tor the conservation of the soil resources' and flows are mai This Act makes ãu¡ng seueie otä prevention of damage by erosion and lloods' springs. - Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967 Plalns 1977 Downlands preparation, ¡mplementation and administralion of itatining schem'es. The Regional provisions ional Councils' Plan are The Regional Policies and objectives drawn on for drafting the Management 900mm Per Year. from: 1989 H¡ll and High CountrY - Canterbury Regional Plan 1 (Aorangi) December (previouslY the Aorangi Un - öánterbury RegionalÕoun 0-1993 - Cànterbury RelionalCoun 991 Resource Management Oblectives following This document and the catchment management plan are guided by the Plan objectives from the Aorangi scheme: 1 .3 Purpose of the Gatchment Management .Theconservationprolectionandenhancementofnaturalandphysical (in addition to resources in a t"aí wir¡ðn recognises the cultural, ecological and economic The ourooses of the Opihi-Temuka Catchment Management Plan are to values of the communitY' Ú,i¡iäiätmon w¡th the lssues and options Document): managemenl of the land, air and water resources to achieve (6)Providetheframeworktorsoundandconsistentdecisionmaking. - The integrated balanced, beneficial and sustainable use' and quick response to changing circumslances' (7) Enable a sound -TherecognitionofandprovisionfortherelationshipoftheT€kataWhenua (peãpìe ôi ttte fañOf ànð ttreir culture and traditions with the¡r ancestral lands. (8) Provide the reasons for public expenditure' (9)Provideasupportingframeworkfofstatuloryconsentsandenforcement measures. 2 Goals of the Oplhi-Temuka Catchment Management Plan Hazard P¡one Areas Seventeen goals have been identified for the Plan. These goals guide the drafting of (14) Umited asset development in areas recognised to be subject to naturally the objeclives presented in Sectíon 2, (lssues and Options). occurring hazards so as to minimise economic losses and social hardships. Soll and Waler Conservatlon Recreat¡on (1) Maintain versatility of the land. (15) Access to recreation areas, activilies and facilities, to meet lhe recreation (2) Maintainsoilproductivity. needs of the regional community. (3) Enhance land produc{ivitY. (16) The conservation and protection of the natural environment to retain a d¡verse range of recreat¡onal experiences. (4) Maintenance and enhancement of the quality of the natural waters. Communlty lnvolvement (5) Achievement of lhe best uses of the natural water, and multiple uses. (17) The involvement of lhe commun¡ty in the Council's discharge ol its Rivers and'Wetlands statutory responsibilities. (6)' The conservation, protection and enhancement of the natural character 1.4 Explanat¡on of Format and visual appearance of river and lagoon margins and wetland areas. There are many issues relating to lhe use of natural resources in the Opihi Catchment. (,7) The maintenance of rivers and the lagoon in a condition that allows for Ten major issues have been identified and presented in this document. Each issue is the widest range of existing and fulure uses. delined ¡n terms of natural processes, uses of the natural resource and problems arising from uses. Objectives are presented w¡th opt¡ons as to how lhey can be Coast achieved. The advantages and disadvantages of each oplion are presented. The Council ¡s not constrained to the lssues identilied or the oblectives and (8) Ths conservation ol the coastal zone which takes into eccount natural opt¡ons presented. The order ln whlch they occur or are listed does not values and the dynamic and fragile nature of the system.