River hopes: Fishing and swimming
A Southland community may be able to swim in its river again if a recommendation from a community group goes ahead, a rivercare spokesperson says.
In a report to Environment Southland and Te Ao Marama, Southland’s Regional Forum has recommended that mandatory flushing flows be carried out by Meridian Energy, which operates the Manapouri Dam.
The report says the flushing flows need to be instigated as soon as possible, and remain in place while a more comprehensive assessment of the lower Waiau flow regime is developed.
Waiau Rivercare Group cochair Paul Marshall said mandatory flushing would deliver significant benefits to the south.
Meridian Energy said it was already working on a programme to seek to provide a greater level of reliability for flushing flows.
The Rivercare Group have long campaigned for Meridian to increase the flow of the Waiau, because much of the water is diverted to the Manapō uri Power Scheme and low river levels were making the river unswimmable with toxic algae blooms.
Marshall, who was also a member of the Regional Forum, said the health of the water in the river had to be prioritised.
‘‘It would move the river from a state of ill health to one of hauora. It will mean the people of Tuatapere and Clifden will be able to swim in the river, and it will mean you can go fishing without getting your line smothered in didymo, and there’s actually fish there.’’
A Meridian spokesperson said it was reviewing what is a long report to see how it addressed Southland’s overall water quality and management issues.
‘‘We have in place a flushing flow protocol that provides for up to five flushing flows during summer months to manage nuisance periphyton,’’ the spokesperson said.’’
The electricity generator was already working on a programme to seek to provide a greater level of reliability for flushing flows.
Marshall said flushing flows were voluntary at the moment, and he could not remember a year when Meridian had carried out five.
The Regional Forum also recommended that an assessment be carried out to set a new flow regime, or mimimum flow, on the lower Waiau River.
‘‘There’s never been any work done about how much water is required in the Waiau to sustain life. What does the river need?
This recommendation means that work will be done,’’ he said.
The Rivercare Group will this month present its petition to the Environment Select Committee about Meridian being excluded from the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.
The Regional Forum made 116 recommendations to improve freshwater quality in Southland, after three years of workshops with the community.
The recommendations are being analysed to see how they can be implemented. That analysis will help Environment Southland work out what might end up in a change to the Southland Water and Land Plan, what might influence its work programmes and what might need to fall into the next Long-Term Plan.