WAIKAREMOANA POWER SCHEME ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 01.07.12 30.06.13 ENVIRONMENTAL This report provides a summary of key environmental outcomes arising out of the process to renew resource consents for the ongoing operation of the Waikaremoana Power Scheme. The process to renew resource consents was lengthy and complicated, with a vast amount of technical information collected. It is not the intention of this report to reproduce or replicate this information in any way, rather it summarises the key outcomes for the operating period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 (hereafter referred to as ‘the reporting period’). The report also only provides a summary of key result areas. There are a number of technical reports, research programmes, environmental initiatives and agreements that have fed into this report. As stated above, it is not the intention of this report to reproduce or replicate this information, rather to provide a summary of it. Genesis Energy is happy to provide further details or technical reports or discuss matters directly with interested parties. 13 HIGHLIGHTS 1 July 2012–30 June 2013 02 01 INTRODUCTION 02 1.1 Document Overview Maintenance Consents In February 2013, scheme-wide 02 1.2 Resource Consent Process Overview resource consents to undertake various routine maintenance 02 1.3 How to use this document activities at the Waikaremoana Power Scheme were granted 02 1.4 Genesis Energy’s Approach by Hawkes Bay Regional Council (HBRC). Prior to the scheme- to Environmental Management wide maintenance consents, resource consents for routine 02 1.4.1 Genesis Energy’s Values maintenance activities were applied for on an ad-hoc basis 02 1.4.2 Environmental Management System which involved frequent repetition. The new consents provide 03 1.4.3 Resource Consents Management System an efficient mechanism to undertake routine maintenance 03 1.4.4 Hydrology activities, whilst effectively managing the effects of the activities 03 1.5 Feedback on the environment (see Section 5.1.1 for details). 04 02 WAIKAREMOANA POWER SCHEME Waikareiti Biodiversity Restoration Project Genesis Energy 05 2.1 Operating the Waikaremoana Power Scheme entered into a three year Waikareiti Biodiversity Restoration 05 2.2 Climate and Power Generation Project Sponsorship Agreement with the Department of 06 03 LAKE WAIKAREMOANA Conservation (DOC) in February 2012. The project’s vision is 07 3.1 Hydrology that “The Waikareiti landscape is pest free and native species 08 3.1.1 Level Trends at Lake Waikaremoana thrive in abundance”. DOC field staff and tangata whenua 08 3.2 Ecosystems and Water Quality established predator trapping infra-structure around the 08 3.2.1 Terrestrial Vegetation lakeshore this reporting period ready for removal of pests from 08 3.2.2 Aquatic Vegetation all six islands on Lake Waikareiti, using hand-spread toxins 09 3.2.3 Trout Monitoring (see Section 6.3 for details). 09 3.2.4 Ecological Restoration Programme 10 3.3 Sediment (Erosion, Transport and Deposition) Waikaremoana Lagarosiphon Incursion In February 2012, a 10 3.3.1 Event-Driven Monitoring DOC contractor located Lagarosiphon plants at Te Raoa Bay 11 04 WAIKARETAHEKE RIVER on Lake Waikaremoana during routine surveillance. A multi- 12 4.1 Hydrology agency response is well underway to manage the incursion, 12 4.1.1 Lake Kaitawa involving DOC, tangata whenua, National Institute of Water and 12 4.1.2 Waikaretaheke River from Kaitawa Spillway to Atmospheric Research, HBRC, Fish and Game, user groups and Lake Whakamarino Genesis Energy. A Ten-Year Strategic Plan has been prepared 13 4.1.3 Lake Whakamarino and ratified by the governance group this reporting period 13 4.1.4 Waikaretaheke River below Piripaua Power Station and regular dive inspections have reduced the biomass of 13 4.1.5 Maximum Flows: Waikaretaheke River and Lakes Lagarosiphon at all known sites to very low levels (see Section Waikaremoana, Kaitawa and Whakamarino 6.6 for details). 13 4.2 Aquatic Ecosystems and Water Quality Piripaua Transformer Upgrade After 73 years of service the two 13 4.2.1 Macro-Invertebrates original transformers at Piripaua Power Station were replaced 14 4.2.2 Waikaretaheke River Ecologial Assessment Below Piripaua during the reporting period. This was a massive undertaking 14 4.2.3 Waikaretaheke River Trout with the new units sourced from Korea. A multitude of other 14 4.2.4 Tune (eel) Migration Programmes work was also undertaken during the four month outage (see 16 4.3 Water Quality Section 5.1.3 for details). 16 4.3.1 Routine Monitoring 16 4.4 Sediment (Erosion, Transport and Deposition) Tuna Migration Programme A record number of elvers (32,984) 17 4.5 Recreation and Tourism were captured below Piripaua Power Station and transferred 17 4.5.1 Piripaua Power Station to upstream habitats. Planning is also well underway to install 17 4.5.2 Whakamarino Dam a migrant tuna by-pass which will provide a safe passage for 18 05 SCHEME-WIDE OUTCOMES migrant tuna out of Lake Whakamarino into the Waikaretaheke 19 5.1 Maintenance Activities River. The by-pass will be completed in the next reporting 19 5.1.1 Scheme-wide Maintenance Consent period (see Section 4.2.4 for details). 19 5.1.2 Piripaua Intake Weed Accumulation 19 5.1.3 Piripaua Transformer Upgrade ABBREVIATIONS 20 5.1.4 Waikaremoana Transmission Condition Assessment 20 5.2 Sports Fish and Habitat Enhancement Fund AER Annual Environmental Report 21 5.3 Dam Safety CSR Comprehensive Safety Review 21 5.4 Oil Spill Response DOC Department of Conservation 21 5.5 Public Complaints ECNZ Electricity Corporation of New Zealand 21 5.6 Publicly Available Hydrology Information EMS Environmental Management System EPT Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 22 COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES 06 (the three insect orders commonly used to test water quality) 23 6.1 Lake Waikaremoana Hapu GPS Global Positioning System Restoration Trust Partnership GWh Gigawatt hour 23 6.2 Whio Forever HBCC Hawkes Bay Canoe Club 24 6.3 Waikareiti Biodiversity Project HBRC Hawkes Bay Regional Council 25 6.4 Waimako Marae DIY LWHRT Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust 25 6.5 Lake Waikaremoana Challenge masl meters above sea level – Moturiki Datum 26 6.6 Aquatic Weeds MPI Ministry of Primary Industries 27 07 KEY OBJECTIVES MVA Megavolt Amp MW Megawatt 28 7.1 Review of Key Objectives for 2012-13 NIWA National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research 28 7.2 Key Objectives for 2013-14 NZTA New Zealand Transport Authority 29 08 REFERENCES QMCI Quantitative Macro-invertebrate Community Index RCMS Resource Consent Management System SPI Submerged Plant Indicators WERP Waikaremoana Ecological Restoration Programme WPS Waikaremoana Power Scheme WSFF Waikaremoana Sports Fish and Habitat Enhancement Fund Front cover photo: Diver working on Number 2 siphon - Onepoto Siphon, Lake Waikaremoana, 1946. Back cover photo: Transporting pipe during construction of the Waikaremoana Power Scheme, 1946 01 INTRODUCTION The first five-yearly review was in 2004 and at this time Genesis Energy sought changes to the monitoring and reporting conditions Nau mai haere mai ki tenei Ripoata Taiao e pa ana ki te mahi to allow for more targeted monitoring programmes at Lake hihiko mo tenei rohe o Waikaremoana. Waikaremoana and on the Waikaretaheke River. The Hawkes Bay Regional Council (HBRC) adopted the recommendations and these Welcome to the 2012-2013 Annual Environmental Report (AER) were incorporated into the Lake Waikaremoana Monitoring Plan for the Waikaremoana Power Scheme (WPS). The purpose of this and the Waikaretaheke River Monitoring Plan. report is to update communities and stakeholders on the wide range of activities which occurred at the WPS between July 2012 The second opportunity for a five-yearly review occurred in 2009; and June 2013. It is the seventh AER for the WPS and follows from however a review of the resource consents was not requested by previous year’s reporting. This report will: Genesis Energy nor undertaken by HBRC. provide an overview of resource consent compliance Up until February 2013, resource consents for routine at the WPS; maintenance activities around the WPS were generally applied provide an update on monitoring and research programmes; for on an as-required basis. However during the reporting report back on key projects; period, scheme-wide resource consents to undertake various report on community and environmental initiatives; and routine maintenance activities at the WPS were granted by define environmental objectives for the next 12 months. HBRC. Similar maintenance consents have been in place at the Tongariro Power Scheme since 2004 and they have proven to be an Genesis Energy aims to be accessible to the public, to address efficient mechanism to undertake routine maintenance activities, issues as they arise and to develop closer working relationships whilst effectively managing the effects of the activities on the within the communities within which it operates. environment (see Section 5.1.1). 1.1 DOCUMENT OVERVIEW 1.3 HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT Genesis Energy produces a suite of reports and other This report documents environmental outcomes based on two key documentation on its activities each year (Figure 1). These include geographical features: detailed technical reports, audit reports and various reporting requirements to stakeholders. They address specific issues at a Lake Waikaremoana; site/local level. Waikaretaheke River. The Company’s Annual Report details Genesis Energy’s The report also provides information for: performance as a company and sets objectives for the coming year. Scheme-wide Outcomes; Community and Environmental Initiatives. ‘Bold text like this’ will help you to find your way around the report. This identifies the parts of the report that relate to specific resource consent conditions. Consent Description Consent # (condition) ‘Orange text like this’ throughout the report provides useful background information on specific issues.