OOP Zone Committee meeting focuses on water quality modelling and biodiversity

The Orari-Opihi-Pareora (OOP) Zone Committee will meet in Timaru on Monday 1 December for its final monthly water management of the year.

The meeting will begin with an update on the installation of water meters in zone and the data gathered to date. Measuring water use is critical to understanding the resource and ensures it is being used efficiently.

The committee will then be briefed on Environment Canterbury’s proposed work programme to progress water investigations in the zone. Recent work with catchment groups and initial modelling of water quality in the zone has identified further monitoring is required to inform decision-making as part of upcoming sub-regional planning (due to be notified 2017/18).

The committee will then consider a local fencing project for Immediate Steps biodiversity funding. The Immediate Steps programme supports projects that protect and restore freshwater biodiversity values in Canterbury. There is still plenty of funding to be allocated so if you have a project that could benefit from funding visit www.ecan.govt.nz/biodiversity for further information and an application form.

The meeting will finish with an update from the Regional Committee which considers water management issues of regional significance before going on to confirm meeting dates for 2015.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend zone committee meetings and agendas details are available at www.ecan.govt.nz/canterbury prior to each meeting. At each meeting time is allocated for community members to have their say.

The zone committee has also identified catchment groups as a vital way of getting local people involved in achieving on-the-ground actions to improve water quality in the zone and three catchment group meetings are being held early December.

The Upper Opihi catchment group is meeting on 2 December (7-9pm, Fairlie Fire Station) to look at a local water monitoring programme and the Opuha River catchment group is hosting a field trip on 11 December to develop a better understanding of local water quality and quantity (If you would like to attend the field trip, email Julia Crossman at julia@opuha.co.nz).

The Pareora catchment group is meeting on 10 December (7-9pm, Southburn Hall) to give community members an opportunity to hear from members of the zone committee and give their own feedback on what should happen in the catchment.

The Tengawai and Lower Opihi groups are scheduled to meet early next year (keep an eye out for details). These meetings are your chance to come along and hear about water management issues in the catchment, and help find solutions.

The OOP Zone Committee is a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils. The zone extends south from the Rangitata River through to the Pareora catchment. It includes all of the Timaru district and parts of the Mackenzie and Waimate districts.

Orari-Opihi-Pareora Zone Committee meeting
1:00pm, Monday 1 December 2014
Meeting Room 1, Timaru District Council, 2 King George Place, Timaru

For an agenda visit the OOP page at www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater

ENDS

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