Hinds Drains recommendations set to be adopted

The Ashburton Water Zone Committee is set to adopt community recommendations for improving water management in the Hinds Plains area at its meeting on April 26.

The Hinds Drains Working Party, was established in 2014 to help the Ashburton zone committee develop recommendations to address water quality issues in the Lower Hinds Plains Area.

The working party was made up of 11 members including three zone committee members, four community/farmer representatives, and one representative each from Fish & Game, Forest & Bird and the Department of Conservation.

Last month, the working party presented its final recommendations to the zone committee.

These included amending rules in the Land and Water Regional Plan to provide options to access deep groundwater in a defined coastal strip, and to enable the implementation of MAR/TSA projects; providing guidance to landowners and drainage engineers regarding healthy habitats, native fish habitats and on creating Farm Environment Plans; removing, where appropriate, fish barriers and improving habitat for sports fish and waterfowl; and continue to monitor water quality in the area.

The full recommendations can be found here

The zone committee is expected to adopt the final recommendations.

Results from the 2014-15 Monitoring and Compliance Report will be presented to the zone committee.

In the Ashburton zone, 24 written warnings, eight abatement notices and nine infringement notices were issued during the year ending June 2015.

Principal resource management advisor Richard Purdon will be on hand to discuss the results and the zone committee will have the opportunity to provide feedback.

The zone committee will consider funding four projects through the Immediate Steps fund. The committee was given $500,000 over five years to allocate to projects enhancing biodiversity in the zone. So far, they have allocated $434,562 to 33 projects. The remaining $65,438 is to be allocated by June 30 this year.

Click here for full agenda.

ENDS

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