Central Plains Water Limited 14-Jul-2016 Doc No. 1 Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake Assessment of Effects on the Environment J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the Environment Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake Assessment of Effects on the Environment Client: Central Plains Water Limited ABN: 000 Prepared by AECOM New Zealand Limited Level 2, 2 Hazeldean Road, Addington, Christchurch 8024, P O Box 710, Christchurch MC, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand T +64 3 966 6000 F +64 3 966 6001 www.aecom.com In association with Central Plains Water 14-Jul-2016 Job No.: 42190800 AECOM in Australia and New Zealand is certified to the latest version of ISO9001, ISO14001, AS/NZS4801 and OHSAS18001. © AECOM New Zealand Limited (AECOM). All rights reserved. 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J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the Environment Quality Information Document Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake Ref 42190800 Date 14-Jul-2016 Prepared by Helen Lawrence Reviewed by Tim Ensor Revision History Authorised Revision Revision Details Date Name/Position Signature 1 24/06/16 Draft for Client Review Tim Ensor 2 14/7/16 Final for lodgement Tim Ensor J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the Environment Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose of this report 1 1.2 The applicants 1 1.2.1 Central Plains Water (CPW) 1 1.2.2 Wrightco Limited 1 1.3 Resource Consents Sought 1 1.4 Structure of this report 1 2.0 Background 3 2.1 Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme 3 2.2 Sheffield Scheme 3 2.3 Existing relevant consents 3 3.0 Description of the Environment 4 3.1 The Site 4 3.2 Wetland area 4 3.3 Existing Activities and Uses 5 3.4 Zoning 5 3.5 Archaeological/Heritage Sites 5 4.0 Description of proposed activities 6 4.1 Earthworks and vegetation clearance 6 4.2 Intake Infrastructure 6 4.3 River Protection works 6 4.4 Mitigation measures 6 5.0 Assessment of Alternatives 7 6.0 Resource Consent Requirements 8 6.1 Changes to consent conditions under s127 of the RMA 8 6.1.1 CRC093715 Wrightco diversion consent 8 6.1.2 CRC167216 CPW B-permit consent 9 6.2 New consent requirements 9 6.3 Permitted Activities 10 6.4 Consent Requirements Summary 10 7.0 Consultation 11 7.1 Landowners 11 7.2 Wrightco Limited 11 7.3 Parties that submitted on the original application 11 8.0 Assessment of Effects on the Environment 12 8.1 Introduction 12 8.2 Positive Effects 12 8.3 Effects on surface water quantity 12 8.3.1 Installing infrastructure 12 8.4 Effects on surface water quality 13 8.5 Effects on drinking water supplies 13 8.6 Effects on ecology 13 8.6.1 Effects on indigenous vegetation and wetland habitat 14 8.6.2 Effects on fish 14 8.6.3 Summary of effects on ecology 14 8.7 Effects on erosion and flood carrying capacity 14 8.8 Effects on amenity 14 8.9 Effects on cultural and historic values 15 9.0 Statutory Assessment 16 9.1 National Environmental Standards 16 9.2 National Policy Statements 16 9.3 Regional Policy Statement 16 9.4 Land and Water Regional Plan (incorporating PC4) 17 9.4.1 Waterways 17 9.4.2 Wetlands 17 J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the Environment 9.5 Waimakariri River Regional Plan (WRRP) 18 9.6 Part 2 Assessment 18 9.7 Section 104 19 10.0 Notification 20 10.1 Public or limited Notification 20 11.0 Proposed Conditions 20 11.1 Environment Canterbury 20 12.0 Conclusions 23 Appendix A Preliminary Design Plan A Appendix B Aerial Photos of wetland area B Appendix C Preliminary Design Plans C Appendix D Written Approval E Table 1: Common Abbreviations Abbreviation Description AEE Assessment of Environmental Effects CRC Canterbury Regional Council CRPS Canterbury Regional Policy Statement ECan Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) HNZ Heritage New Zealand LWRP Partly Operative Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan PC4 Plan Change 4 to the Partly Operative Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan RMA (the Act) The Resource Management Act 1991 The site The riparian margin of the Waimakariri River east of Keens road The works The installation of water take infrastructure TSS Total suspended solids J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the 1 Environment 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Purpose of this report This Assessment of Effects on the Environment (AEE) supports resource consent applications by Central Plains Water and Wrightco Limited (the applicants), for the installation of intake infrastructure in a diversion channel off the true right bank of the Waimakariri River and the installation of river protection works in the same area. This report contains applications for consents under the Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP), Waimakariri River Regional Plan (WRRP), and changes to existing resource consents under s127 of the Resource Management Act 1991. This report addresses the resource consent requirements and satisfies Section 88 of the RMA. Section 88 requires that an application for resource consent includes, in accordance with Schedule 4, an AEE in such detail as corresponds with the scale and significance of the effects that the activity may have on the environment. 1.2 The applicants 1.2.1 Central Plains Water (CPW) Central Plains Water Trust was formally constituted in March 2003 by the Christchurch City and Selwyn District Councils to facilitate sustainable development of Central Canterbury’s water resource. The trust led the applications for resource consents for the original scheme. Central Plains Water Limited (CPWL) is a shareholder-owned company set up by CPWT to raise funding and take responsibility for the detailed design, implementation and operation of the Scheme in accordance with CPWT’s consents. In the remainder of this report, CPWL and CPWT are collectively referred to as CPW. 1.2.2 Wrightco Limited Wrightco Limited own and operate a farm east of Springfield and hold a number of resource consents to provide for their activities. Activities that their consents authorise include; the take and use of surface water, works within the bed of a river and diversion consent to facilitate the water takes. The locations of their consented water takes are in the vicinity of where the new CPW intake infrastructure is proposed to be located. 1.3 Resource Consents Sought Table 2: Resource Consents Sought Consent type Activity Activity status Environment Canterbury Land use Reducing the area of a wetland for the construction of new Restricted infrastructure for water distribution, including vegetation clearance Discretionary (LWRP) and earthworks and the taking, use, damming or diversion of water and the associated discharge Land use Deposition of material on, in or under the bed of a river for the Discretionary (WRRP) purpose of bank protection In addition, changes to the following consents under s127 of the RMA are also sought to enable the proposed intake: Condition 2 of CRC093715 (Wrightco diversion consent) Condition 1 of CRC167216 (CPW B- permit consent) Details of these changes are discussed in Section 6.1 of this report. 1.4 Structure of this report The remainder of this report is set out in the following sections: J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the 2 Environment - Section 2: Background - Section 3: Description on the environment - Section 4: Description of the activities - Section 5: Resource consent requirements - Section 6: Consultation - Section 7: Assessment of effects on the environment - Section 8: Statutory assessment - Section 9: Notification - Section 10: Proposed Conditions The following information is appended to this report: - Appendix A – Ecological assessment - Appendix B – Aerial Photos of wetland area - Appendix C – Preliminary Design Plan J:\42190800\5 Works\Waimak intake\AEE\Keen Road wetland - ECan AEE Final 13_7_16.docx Revision 0 – 14-Jul-2016 Prepared for – Central Plains Water Limited – ABN: 000 AECOM Central Plains Water: Waimakariri Intake – Assessment of Effects on the 3 Environment 2.0 Background 2.1 Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme The primary RMA approvals required to establish the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme were confirmed by the Environment Court in July 2012.