Media Statement

14 March 2017 – for immediate release

Rain welcome, but no room for complacency

Four days of rain has come as welcome relief for the region’s farmers and its waterways. Over 50mm of rain had already made a noticeable difference to the Selwyn River, with flows going from zero to over 100 litres per second at Coes Ford.

“Farmers and irrigators can feel vindicated. As we had stated all along, the river was dry because of a significant lack of rainfall. And whilst this current rainfall won’t mean the Selwyn continues to flow, it clearly shows the impact rainfall has on its flows. As we stated at the outset, the river isn’t dying, it has simply been weathering a very dry period – like the rest of us.”

The rain would certainly ease pressure on the region’s farmers, but Curtis said there was no room for complacency.

“Already we’ve had reports of irrigators operating in the pouring rain. It’s not a good look, nor is it good practice. It’s important for farmers to adapt their scheduling and systems so that when there is a significant rain event, they’re not seen as wasting water.

Environment Canterbury’s principal resource management advisor, Richard Purdon, said all irrigators should ensure that their water allocations are used diligently and not wasted. The council responded to complaints and would follow up any unauthorised use of water utilising their locally-based water zone officers.

Before this week’s rain, watering onto roads was also an issue that had received a number of complaints to the pollution hotline. “Aside from the safety issue, people don’t like seeing water being wasted by being sprayed onto roads. Farmers who irrigate do so under strict regulatory regimes so it’s important they justify their use of water by being efficient and responsible with it,” Mr Curtis said. “Farmers are under a deeper level of scrutiny when it comes to water usage so it’s really important they keep a close eye on where their water ends up, particularly when pivot end guns are situated close to boundaries.”

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