Sites of High Ecological Value within the Malvern and Ellesmere Water Race Schemes 120 YEARS OF BIODIVERSITY EOS Ecology Report No: 10016-SDC01-02 | December 2011 Prepared for: Selwyn District Council Prepared by: EOS Ecology; Alex James Reviewed by: Shelley McMurtrie ECOLOGY AQUATIC RESEARCH & SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS 23-12-11 All photography © 2011 EOS Ecology (unless otherwise specified in document) and cannot be reproduced without written permission EOS ECOLOGY | AQUATIC RESEARCH & SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS Report No. 10016-SDC01-02 December 2011 1 INTRODUCTION The Selwyn District’s water race network began operation over 120 have some impact through the creation of canals and potential takeover those sites or branches that should be retained on a scheme-wide basis years ago to provide a reliable source of water for agriculture. Currently of some intakes (Fig. 1). in the face of potential closures. To this end the SDC commissioned EOS three schemes operate (Malvern, Ellesmere, and Paparua) covering To tackle these growing issues Selwyn District Council (SDC) has Ecology to undertake a survey of the Malvern and Ellesmere water race a total of 111,246 ha of the plains (Fig. 1). The Ellesmere scheme has begun a strategic review of the water race schemes to investigate schemes (Fig. 1) to identify sites of high ecological value (biodiversity intakes from the Rakaia and Hororata Rivers and serves the plains various options for their future, including potentially closing sections ‘hotspots’), and highlight what portion of the schemes are therefore the area between these two rivers; from Te Pirita and Haldon in the west, or entire schemes. Such a closure of the small Selwyn scheme near most important to retain from an ecological point of view. to Rakaia Huts and Southbridge in the east, and the Dunsandel Road Hororata resulted in the loss of some locations with high ecological from Leeston to Dunsandel in the north. The Malvern scheme serves values (see O’Brien & Dunn, 2006a, b). Additionally, the recently the plains areas between the Waimakariri River on the north side and appointed Canterbury Water Management Strategy committee Selwyn River on the south side, from Springfield and Glentunnel in for the Selwyn-Waihora Zone has in the first version of their Zone the west to the western boundary of the Paparua scheme; and has Implementation Programme (ZIP) (endorsed by Environment Canterbury intakes from the Waimakariri, Selwyn, and Kowai Rivers. The Paparua Commissioners on 15 December 2011) specific points regarding scheme fans out across the plains towards Christchurch in the east biodiversity in stock water races: and Burnham in the south, from an intake on the southern bank of the » Identify significant biodiversity and community values in the water Waimakariri River at Intake Road. The Water Race Management Plan race network prior to naturalisation - including wetland areas. (Selwyn District Council, 2009) provides more detailed information on » Protect, maintain, and provide intergenerational resources based on the operation of the water race schemes. the water race network, including a potential aquatic biodiversity With the recent changes in land use from predominantly dry corridor as a flagship environmental enhancement project. stock farming to cropping and rapidly increasing dairy farming, many landowners are questioning the value of water races on their » Investigate creation of wetlands at points where races discharge by properties. Dairy farms and crop growers have little need for water wash to ground. races to provide stock water and some see them as hindrances (e.g., The detailed methodologies on how to achieve these desires are yet to they take up productive land area and have to be fenced from cattle) be finalised. and would rather not pay for their operation. However, water races Given the overall lack of knowledge of water race ecological value, have many values beyond just conveying stock water and are being there is clearly an immediate need for quantifying the ecological/ increasingly valued for the ecological characteristics they have attained biodiversity value of water races to aid both the SDC in their strategic in the 120+ years since they were constructed. A balance must be review of water race operation, and to inform the Selwyn-Waihora Zone found between maintaining these values and having a reliable and committee such that they can effectively implement their ZIP. While equitable source of funding to continue their operation in the future. there have been some previous investigations into the ecological values Furthermore, the proposed Central Plains Water scheme overlaps of SDC water race schemes (McMurtrie et al., 1997; Sinton, 2008; portions of the Malvern and Ellesmere water race schemes which will James, 2011) these have not had the specific purpose of identifying Surveying vegetation and invertebrates Sites of High Ecological Value within the Malvern and Ellesmere Water Race Schemes EOS ECOLOGY | AQUATIC RESEARCH & SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS Figure 1: WATER RACE SCHEMES AND SURVEYED SITES Representative Sites Highlighted The three water race schemes of the Selwyn District, the sites surveyed by EOS Ecology in September–October 2011 to measure ecological value, and the proposed canals and designation of the Central Plains Water scheme. We have highlighted four representative sites of the Malvern and Ellesmere water race schemes. MAP LEGEND Representative sample sites from water race schemes Ellesmere water race scheme Malvern water race scheme Paparua water race scheme Sites surveyed Proposed Canterbury Plains Water scheme canals Proposed Canterbury Plains Water scheme designation Roads 3 Site 31: Kimberley Rd upstream of Auchenflower Rd Site 14: Railway Rd upstream of Sandy Knolls Rd Site 23: Rakaia Terrace Rd upstream of Morgans Rd Site 2: North Rakaia Rd upstream of Parkersons Rd Sites of High Ecological Value within the Malvern and Ellesmere Water Race Schemes EOS ECOLOGY | AQUATIC RESEARCH & SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS 4 ASSESSING “ECOLOGICAL VALUE” To identify sites of high ecological value we must first have some unbiased method of determining such values. The designation of a particular location or site as being of high ecological value will preferably be based on a pre-existing standard of biodiversity importance. For example, Ausseil et al.(2008) describes such a standard methodology for New Zealand wetlands on a national scale. However, such standards are lacking for water race environments, which are generally in areas that have undergone Criteria Details significant human-induced change and are considered overall to be of low Representativeness Does the site represent a substantial proportion of one or more ecosystems ecological value by many people. The Natural Resources Regional Plan within a bioregion and to what degree? (NRRP) (Environment Canterbury, 2011) gives no guidance on assessing Ecological Importance Does the site: ecological value but does, “... recognise that some stockwater races may EXPANDED ON IN THIS REPORT 1A contribute to the maintenance of essential ecological processes or life- provide important habitats for indigenous species...”. As such standards support systems; of ecological values are lacking for water races it was necessary to use our EXPANDED ON IN THIS REPORT 1B contain habitat for rare or endangered species; expert opinion to estimate value based on other existing criteria adopted EXPANDED ON IN THIS REPORT 1C preserve genetic diversity (i.e., is diverse or abundant in species); from ANZECC (1998) and EIANZ Ecology (2010) as outlined in Table 1. 1D contain areas on which species or other systems are dependent (e.g., Given the water race schemes are essentially artificial ecosystems, contain nursery areas or feeding, breeding, or resting areas for migratory the most relevant criteria against which to consider the ecological species); or values of sites are those relating to indigenous flora and fauna that 1E contain a substantial part of a landscape that is a biologically functional, have colonised the schemes since they were constructed (Table 1). self-sustaining ecological unit? These include riparian and aquatic plants, aquatic invertebrates, and Uniqueness Does the site: fish. More detail of the relevant assessment criteria from Table 1 is EXPANDED ON IN THIS REPORT 2A contain unique species, populations, communities, or ecosystems; or given in the following sections. 2B contain unique or unusual geographic features? Geographical Importance EXPANDED ON IN THIS REPORT 3 Is the site rated or has the potential to be listed as being of international, national, regional, or local importance? TABLE 1: Productivity Do the species, populations, or communities of the site have a high natural ECOLOGICAL VALUE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA productivity? Potential criteria for assigning ecological value to sites (adapted from ANZECC (1998) and EIANZ Vulnerability Are the ecosystems and/or communities vulnerable to natural processes? Ecology (2010)). The criteria (and details) that Biogeographic Importance Does the site capture important biogeographic qualities? are most relevant to the Malvern and Ellesmere water race schemes are marked in this table and Naturalness How much has the site been protected from, or not been subjected to human-induced change? expanded on in this report. EOS ECOLOGY | AQUATIC RESEARCH & SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS Report No. 10016-SDC01-02 December 2011 5 Criteria 1: Ecological Importance 2010).