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Sedimentation IN THE MATTER of the Resource Management Act 1991 AND IN THE MATTER of a Board of Inquiry appointed under s149J of the Resource Management Act 1991 to determine an application for resource consents sought by Watercare Services Limited for its Waikato River Take and Discharge Proposal. STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF SELENE ALEXANDRA CONN ON BEHALF OF WATERCARE SERVICES LIMITED Sedimentation 1. Introduction, Qualifications and Experience 1.1 My name is Selene Alexandra Conn. I am a Technical Director for fluvial geomorphology and an ecologist (specialising in riparian and wetland vegetation) at Tonkin and Taylor Limited, based in Tauranga. I have been employed by Tonkin and Taylor Limited for three years and seven months. 1.2 I hold the following qualifications relevant to this assessment: (a) Bachelor of Science (Biology and Geography (2007), Bachelor of Science Honours (Geography (2008), Master of Science (Geography (2009) from the University of Auckland. (b) I have been a Certified Environmental Practitioner (#1219) since 2018, and received the Geomorphology Specialisation Accreditation (#001) in February 2021. I am currently the vice chair of the New Zealand Rivers Group, a technical interest group of Engineering New Zealand, and have been on the committee since 2017. 1.3 I have eleven years’ experience in the fields of ecology and fluvial geomorphology. Prior to my role at Tonkin and Taylor, I was a senior ecologist at Wildland Consultants based in Tauranga specialising in wetland and riparian vegetation surveys and stream habitat enhancement plans. Between 2012 and 2016, I was employed as an environmental scientist at Alluvium Consulting in Townsville, Australia specialising in riparian vegetation surveys, riparian planting plans for large scale waterway diversions and geomorphic assessments for a range of clients and project objectives. During this time, I also served on the Marine Conservation Board partnering with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Protection Authority providing technical advice and guidance on terrestrial sedimentation issues affecting the reef. Between 2010 and 2012 I was employed as an environmental scientist at Morphum environmental specialising in erosion assessments and management plans and stream enhancement plans, as well as a riparian technical co-ordinator at EnviroMatters in Auckland. 1.4 Examples of recent projects I have been involved in include: (a) A geomorphic assessment of the Burdekin River, Queensland, Australia. (b) A geomorphic assessment of the Waiohine River for Greater Wellington Regional Council. I presented the findings at the Water NZ Conference in 2019. (c) A geomorphic assessment of the Manawatū and Ōroua Rivers for Horizons Regional Council. This work was presented at the New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society, New Zealand Hydrological Society and New Zealand Rivers Group joint conference in 2020. (d) A geomorphic assessment of the streams in the Waikite Valley feeding into the Whirinaki Arm of Lake Ohakuri. (e) A high-level geomorphic assessment of the Mangaohoi and Mangapiko Streams for Waipa District Council. 1.5 This evidence is provided in support of Watercare’s application for all necessary consents to enable the taking of up to 150,000 cubic metres (net) of water per day (m3/day) from the Waikato River for municipal water supply purposes (Project). 1.6 In terms of my involvement in this Project, I assisted in providing the specialist technical input into the possible effects of an increase in water take on sediment transport and bedform processes contained in Sections 4.4 Sediment and 5.2 Sediment Effects of the River Hydrology Assessment provided in support of Watercare’s updated application, lodged with the EPA on 11 December 2020. 2. Code of Conduct 2.1 My qualifications as an expert are set out above. I confirm that I have read the Expert Witness Code of Conduct set out in the Environment Court's Practice Note 2014. I have complied with the Code of Conduct in preparing this evidence. Except where I state that I am relying on the evidence of another person, this evidence is within my area of expertise. I have not omitted to consider material facts known to me that might alter or detract from the opinions expressed in this evidence. 3. Executive Summary 3.1 The sedimentation effects (transport and bedform processes) due to predicted changes in flow depth, and velocity in the river due to the proposal are in my opinion minimal. 3.2 The reduction in median flow and mean annual flow are negligible and are unlikely to change sediment dynamics or effect bed form processes at intake site or in the downstream reaches. 3.3 Water level fluctuations could affect surface water gradient and/or shear stress resulting in localised changes in sediment transport around the intakes themselves, which is discussed in more detail in Mr Robert Keller’s evidence. The predicted volume of sediment removed through the intake could be up to an approximate maximum of 3,800 m3/year11 which is less than 4 % of the projected on-going annual extraction from Winstone Aggregates Smeeds Quarry across the river, and less than 2 % of annual authorised volume. Therefore, any sediment extracted due to the proposed water take will have a negligible effect on sediment dynamics in the lower Waikato River. 3.4 The lower Waikato River can be considered to be dynamic regarding mobile bedform processes and sediment, and underlying degradational trends. The intake screens are also located in a relatively dynamic area of the river planform. This all suggests that bed levels at the intake structure are going to be variable (as shown in the data), due to any number of possible reasons. However, as per Mr Keller’s evidence, the chosen location of the intake screens is considered appropriate. Any changes in bed level observed through on-going monitoring may not necessarily be a result of effects from the proposed take and should be assessed against the catchment and reach-scale temporary, short, medium, and long-term geomorphic processes of the Lower Waikato. 4. Scope of Evidence 4.1 My evidence addresses the sedimentation effects of the proposed new water take from the Waikato River. 4.2 I have undertaken a desktop assessment of literature relating to sediment budgets, geomorphic processes and bedforms. To inform my assessments, I have relied on information contained in the reports set out in Appendix A. 4.3 My evidence is structured as follows: (a) An overview of the sediment regime in the Lower Waikato River, looking at sediment budgets, and activities that are modifying the sediment regime. (b) A short description of the underlying trends of sediment transport and bed levels within the Lower Waikato River, identifying drivers of change, and effects on bed levels. (c) A description of the sediment type within the Lower Waikato River, and what this means for its transport behavior. (d) A brief description of sediment dynamics within the river, with regard to changes in flow. (e) A description of the bed levels at Watercare’s Waikato intake site, based on monitoring undertaken between 2003 and 2019, and a brief description of possible drivers/causes that may contribute to any bed level fluctuations that may be observed. (f) A summary of the potential effects associated with the Project. 4.4 I am aware of, and can confirm that I have read, Mr Keller’s evidence and believe that our evidence is in broad agreement in regards to wider changes in the Lower Waikato River. 5. Waikato River sediment regime 5.1 The Waikato River is a highly modified and regulated river with regard to sediment loads and sediment transport due to the presence of eight hydro- electricity dams between Lake Taupō at its source, and Lake Karapiro. Other human activities, such as sand extraction, have also modified the sediment regime. 5.2 The estimated total pre-dam suspended sediment load for the Waikato River is 526,000 t/year, with approximately 37 % (194,620 t/year) from the upper Waikato and (coincidentally) 37 % (194,620 t/year) from the Waipa River1 (Table 5.1). 1 Hicks M and Hill R (2010). Sediment Regime – sources, transport, and changes in the riverbed. In K J. Collier, D P Hamilton, W N B Vant, and C Howard-Williams (Eds.) The Waters of the Waikato: Ecology of New Zealand's longest river (pp. 71 to 92). Hamilton, New Zealand: Environment Waikato and the Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research (The University of Waikato). Table 5.1: Averaged annual rates for the Waikato River bed material budget (1964-1998) for ‘natural’ pre-dam levels (taken from Hicks et al5) and for ‘actual’ post-dam levels (taken from Hicks and Hill1). (a) (b) ‘Actual’ Sediment budget tabulated (from Hicks and Hill1) Mid-Waikato (Karapiro to Ngaruawahia) Lower Waikato (Ngaruawahia to the coast) Upstream inputs (across the 0m3 Upstream inputs (across +141,000m3 upstream boundary at Lake the upstream boundary at Karapiro) Ngaruawahia) Tributary inputs +63,000m32 Tributary inputs +27,000m3 Yield from bed degradation +101,000m3 Yield from bed +417,000m3 degradation Extracted -23,000m3 Extracted -484,000m3 TOTAL reach bed load +141,000m3 TOTAL reach bed load +101,000m3 5.3 It is estimated that the eight hydro dams upstream of Lake Karapiro trap 100 % of the bed material load, and up to 30% of the suspended sediment load of the Waikato River1. For the purposes of this evidence, bed load is considered to be the main contributor to changes in bed form morphology. 2 54,000m3 from the Waipa River, and 9,000m3 from other tributary sources. 5.4 All bed load in the Waikato River downstream of Lake Karapiro comes from tributaries (the Waipa River being the largest contributor), and material eroded from the bed and banks of the main stem of the Waikato River (downstream of Lake Karapiro) and transported downstream (discussed further in Paragraph 5.11 and 5.12 below).
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