On-Stream
It's hard not to mention the abundance of water in Otago this summer. While it's great for lake and river levels and grass/crop growth, it still feels like we're waiting for summer to arrive. No one seems ready to write the season off just yet, but there are more than a few people crossing their fingers that we'll have a warm autumn to make up for the lacklustre start to the year.
Weather is often a topic of conversation for Kiwis, and it's not surprising because our island nation is in the direct path of a number of weather systems. With Otago being predominantly a rural region, the weather has an impact on our economy and chatting about it is par for the course.
Conversation is also important for sharing ideas, and a group in North Otago will be doing plenty of talking as they work closely with farmers to improve water quality. You can read about this below, and this issue of On-Stream also tells you what our liaison specialists have been up to, and how to avoid sediment entering a waterway.
Enjoy!
The ORC team
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Feature story: NOSLaM now championing Kakanui cause
Thank you to Sally Brooker at Oamaru Mail for giving us permission to reprint this article.
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The Kakanui river has a new champion. The North Otago Sustainable Land Management Group (NOSLaM) has taken over from the Kakanui Community Catchment Project to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and increase biodiversity.
The three-year project, which finished in October, was funded by the Ministry for the Environment's Community Environment Fund and the New Zealand Landcare Trust, with support from the North Otago Irrigation Company, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, and Ravensdown.
NOSLaM chairman Peter Mitchell said the group had held meetings and made funding applications so it could continue the progress already made.
Spokeswoman Jane Smith said collaboration was the key.
"We've had great support from the Otago Regional Council, the Waitaki District Council, and the North Otago Irrigation Company."
A partnership funding model would be used, with individuals paying memberships, as well as grants.
"We're focused around small local catchment groups, facilitating them. We're putting the onus back with farmers."
The Otago Regional Council's water plan allowed landowners to be innovative, not restricting their activities, provided they did not harm water quality, Mrs Smith said.
She was "really excited" about the prospects for this year, finding "community solutions" for the Kakanui.
The council encouraged the approach developed during the three-year catchment project as efficient and effective, she said.
Mrs Smith praised the work of project coordinator Nicola Holmes and New Zealand Landcare Trust South Island team leader Janet Gregory, who had helped create "a change of ethos" in the catchment.
People from all around New Zealand were contacting Kakanui people to ask about the project and the possibility of rolling it out in other parts of the country, she said.
Having fun beside the Kakanui River |
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| Updates from your liaison specialists |
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Bruce Monaghan - Central Otago
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ORC staff involved with deemed permit replacements recently met with iwi, Fish and Game, DOC, and Federated Farmers to update them on progress and the key aspects that have been discussed with water user groups. Since then Federated Farmers has prepared an information sheet for its members highlighting the importance of beginning preparation well in advance of the 2021 deadline.
We are holding a water quantity forum at the end of March to update water permit holders about renewal of deemed permits and what we've been presenting to catchment groups about the process involved. In particular, we'll outline the benefits of working as a water users’ group, with reference to the Water Plan.
At the forum, stakeholder groups (iwi, DOC, and Fish and Game) will have the opportunity to outline the importance of eco-aquatic values and what they are seeking by way of minimum and residual flows to safeguard these values.
The Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) is a key aspect of the water permit renewal process, and ORC is assisting this by collating river flows and fishery data on our website. We'll explain how this information is displayed on our new web portal and how it can help you.
The Water Plan gives you flexibility to configure your consent application with respect to catering for retakes and sharing takes within a catchment. We will explain more about this at the forum.
The forum will be in Alexandra on 29 March at the Cellar Door from 9.30am to 3.00pm. If you're a deemed permit holder, an invitation to the forum will be posted to you soon.
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It's been a full-on February working in South Otago! We were invited to check out Bellview wetland, which sits on the outskirts of Lawrence. The passion, craftsmanship and vision demonstrated is inspiring; from propagating natives, educating school children and providing wetland habitat, this project has it all. We'll give you the full scoop in an issue of our Waterlines newsletter later this year.
In last month's On-Stream we had some information about stock access to waterways. It was great to get several enquiries as a result, asking for more details. If your waterways are unfenced, remember to monitor any effects as a result of stock access: there should be no slumping, pugging or erosion of the bed or banks, and no noticeable sediment deposition or change in water clarity. Give me a call if you want to discuss this, or any other queries you have. You can find out more at: http://bit.ly/2hROi7m
Some colleagues and I had an awesome morning in the Wairuna catchment earlier this month with the Pomahaka Watercare Group, DoC, Fish and Game, and KTKO. We looked at the consent pathway for managing the Wairuna Stream and tributaries in a way that all parties can agree with. This was a constructive session and likely to lead to another session for the wider Wairuna catchment in early March. I'll keep you updated.
ORC has a site at the Clydevale Farming expo on 1 March (see 'What's coming up'). I'll be there and I look forward to meeting you and talking about all things Water Plan related. My colleagues from the consents and engineering teams will also be there to answer any of your questions.
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Crikey! 2017 is shaping up to be a busy year in North Otago with ORC science projects winding up in the Kakanui catchment and Waitaki Plains, and starting in the Shag catchment. River management plans will also be developed for the Waianakarua and Shag Rivers. We will let you know more about each of these projects as things progress.
It is pleasing to hear landowners in the Kakanui catchment are keen to have OVERSEER reports done for their properties this year. The collective results will be used to help support the science project, which looks at the interaction between the Kakanui Alluvium Aquifer and the Kakanui River.
ORC is working closely with North Otago Sustainable Land Management Group (NOSLaM) and North Otago Irrigation Company (NOIC) to help get the next phase of the Kakanui catchment project up and running. The plan is to monitor the water quality of small tributary creeks off the Kakanui River and Waiareka Creek, and use the results to inform and engage the landowners within each small tributary catchment. This initiative offers a great chance for locals to find local solutions and show what can happen when farmers roll their sleeves up. If you’d like to know more about this and get stuck in, please contact me.
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| Did you know?
We thought we'd remind you why sediment in waterways can have a negative impact on the environment.
- It can block light that's needed for algae (an important food source for fish) to grow
- It can harm fish gills
- It can block up fish habitats
- It can stop fish from seeing well enough to move around and feed
Sediment can build up quickly but can take a long time to clear away, which is why it's best to stop it from getting into the water in the first place.
The main cause of sediment entering a waterway is through land disturbance, such as cultivating a paddock, strip grazing, harvesting trees or doing earthworks.
What can you do to prevent sediment runoff into waterways?
- Create a buffer strip of long grass or low vegetation (riparian planting) between grazing paddocks and waterways, and also in gullies/swales where water might naturally collect to flow into a waterway
- Create a sediment trap, such as a pit or perpendicular channel at the bottom of the paddock, to slow water movement
- If you're cleaning out drains or irrigation races, do it when there is no water in the drain or race
As with most things, prevention is better than cure. If you have any queries about sediment control, call our liaison specialists for more information.
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What's coming up?
- 1 March 2017 - Clydevale Farming Expo, 171 Tuapeka Mouth Rd, from 9.30am. ORC will have a Good Water in Otago stand, so pop in to say hi to our friendly staff.
- 29 March 2017 - Water quantity forum. We will discuss what you need to know about expiring deemed permits and give helpful tips to get you started. 9.30am - 3.00pm, The Cellar Door, Alexandra.
- TBC. We will present results from science studies in the Washpool and Crookston Burn catchments to the communities, and report on water quality. We'll let you know the dates and locations soon. |
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| ORC's quarterly newsletter 'Waterlines' is out now: http://bit.ly/2mtj4XR |
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| If you know someone who should subscribe to On-Stream, forward this email to them and suggest they email us at water@orc.govt.nz to subscribe. |
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| Make sure you like the 'Good Water in Otago - ORC' Facebook page - click the Facebook link below. |
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