Communities to guide water rules
CENTRAL Otago communities will be called upon to guide the way forward for the minimum flow process on three rivers.
An Otago Regional Council meeting has considered options for how to proceed over contentious changes to management of ‘‘priority catchments’’ in the Manuherikia, Cardrona and Arrow rivers.
This was likely to include the setting of minimum flows in areas with high numbers of 100yearold watertake permits which expire in 2021.
Last week, councillors were presented with three options for setting limits and objectives for those rivers and how that would fit with Otagowide water work.
Councillors were unhappy with those options because of timing and resource and doublehandling issues.
They instead opted to consult with the communities of the priority catchments about alternative ways to progress.
Cr Gretchen Robertson said all options were ‘‘disappointing’’.
‘‘We shouldn’t be making a blackandwhite decision today. People don’t want to do the process twice.
‘‘I think we need to go back to the community and say we have to work together. The options today are not meeting the need.’’
Cr Graeme Bell said he had ‘‘always been pushing’’ for that kind of arrangement.
Cr Andrew Noone said he was ‘‘delighted’’ as the options were like trying to ‘‘squeeze a round document into a square hole’’.
Cr Ella Lawton said she was concerned the priority catchments could get preferential treatment over the rest of Otago.