PART 3: SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
7.0 F RESH W ATER R ESOURCES
Section 7: Fresh Water Resources 1 July 2001
Groundwater resources are mostly of a high quality except in some areas of the Waimea plains where elevated nitrate levels are being recorded. Localised areas of contamination may occur in association with some discharge activities.
Significant uses and values of water resources in the District are:
1. USE OF NATURAL RAINFALL FOR PLANT GROWTH
The District is endowed with generally adequate rainfall that naturally supports the growth of plants as pasture or crops (including trees) without the need for augmenting soil moisture by irrigation.
2. IRRIGATION
Spray and trickle irrigation of horticultural and agricultural crops is concentrated in the Waimea and Motueka/Riwaka Plains. Rapid development of apple orchards in the Moutere stimulated by the demand for larger sized fruit is mainly relying on water from the deep Moutere aquifers and dams.
The upper Motueka area around Tapawera has been subject to recent expansion of irrigation demand.
3. PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY
Council’s major reticulated supplies include the Waimea Delta supplying industrial needs and Mapua-Ruby Bay, Richmond’s Lower Confined Aquifer wellfield, groundwater supplies for Hope- Brightwater, Wakefield and Redwood Valley, the Eighty-Eight Valley scheme, the Dovedale scheme extending to Upper Moutere, and several small schemes in Motueka. Motueka is one of the largest towns in New Zealand without a reticulated water supply. Private schemes supply lower Moutere and communities along the margins of the Takaka Valley. Individual wells supply domestic users in Motueka, Takaka and many rural areas; stored rainwater is also a common source in rural areas.
4. INDUSTRY
Major industrial water users are dairy factories, timber milling and processing, fruit processing, meat works, and fish processing. Many are supplied from Council reticulation.
5. FARMING
Apart from irrigation, farm uses include dairy shed washdown, fruit packing (e.g. apple washing), crop and orchard spraying and stock water.
6. MINING
Alluvial gold mining occurs mainly in the Upper Buller, Wangapeka, Anatoki and Aorere catchments, with water usually pumped from rivers and streams.
7. DISCHARGES
Point discharges comprise direct discharges into water and onto land. Main sources are dairy sheds, industry (fish, vegetable, dairy, meat processing, wineries), treated sewerage and urban stormwater.
There is a New Zealand-wide trend towards land disposal of waste, and higher standards of treatment prior to any direct discharge to surface waters. In addition, water bodies receive diffuse source discharges of sediment, nutrients, and agrichemical and microbial contaminants from land use practices of stocking, cropping, disturbances and agrichemical applications.
8. RECREATION
Water present in many rivers and streams throughout the District is used by the recreational public for visual appreciation, and activities such as swimming, canoeing, rafting and angling. The Motueka and Waimea Rivers and their main tributaries and the Upper Buller River, Aorere River and Lakes Rotoroa and Rotoiti are especially important for these uses.
9. FISHERIES
Waters of the main rivers in the District, particularly the Motueka and Riwaka Rivers, support brown trout, eel and whitebait fisheries. Other native fish also are present in the freshwaters of the District.
10. WILDLIFE VALUES
The District’s rivers, lakes and wetlands provide valuable habitats for wildlife including both plant and animal communities. Some reaches of rivers, particularly the more remote less contaminated or less modified habitats can be significant in terms of habitats for threatened species including such bird species as Blue Duck, and waders such as Pied Stilt and Banded Dotterel. Many rivers also have significant native fish habitats.
11. MAORI TRADITIONAL VALUES AND INTRINSIC VALUES
Water bodies and the life they support have a high degree of significance for Maori for traditional spiritual reasons. The mauri or life-essence of rivers and lakes is a value sought to be protected, in addition to food gathering, and other customary values (e.g. wahi tapu in or adjacent to rivers). The intrinsic values of rivers and lakes, identified by many non-Maori, are of similar significance: these are values placed on the water bodies for their undisturbed existence.
12. ELECTRICITY GENERATION
There are a small number of hydro-electric schemes in the District. There is further potential for rivers to provide opportunities for hydroelectric generation.
The Act allows the Council to consider and address in the Tasman Regional Policy Statement, issues concerning the management of water, including its taking, use, damming or diversion, and the discharge of contaminants into water or where contaminants might find their way into water.
Water resource issues concern water availability for abstractive or consumptive uses or for maintaining instream uses or values, or water quality for a range of uses or values. Some issues concern both these aspects of water resources, such as tangata whenua or other cultural interests in water. Tangata whenua interests in water and other natural resources are addressed generally in Section 13 of the Tasman Regional Policy Statement.
The following summarises water resource issues addressed in this section of the Tasman Regional Policy Statement. Aspects of some of these issues are also land, river or contamination issues that are addressed in other sections of the Tasman Regional Policy Statement.
The issues are:
(i) water allocation, including sustainable allocation limits for water abstraction, enhancing available water by efficient water use or augmentation, administrative methods of allocation, and reservation of priority uses and values of water;
(ii) protection of natural, recreational and cultural values of water bodies.
(iii) contamination of water from point source or diffuse source discharges;
(iv) land use activities which may adversely affect water availability through irrigation demands or interception and loss of rainfall by vegetation.
Section 7: Fresh Water Resources 1 July 2001
Legend
Tasman District Highways Roads Main Rivers
Catchment Boundaries
0 10 20 30 40
Kilometers
¯
Murchison
Tapawera
St Arnaud
RICHMOND MOTUEKA
Takaka Collingwood
Wakefield Brightwater Mapua Kaiteriteri Golden Bay
Tasman Bay
NELSON CITY
RotoroaLake
RotoitiLake Karamea
Aorere Aorere Nth West
Nth West
Takaka Takaka
Abel Abel Tasman Tasman
Riwaka Riwaka
Motueka Motueka
Waimea Waimea Moutere
Moutere
Buller Buller
Catchments Catchments Catchment
Catchment Catchments
Catchments
Catchment Catchment
Catchment Catchment
Catchment Catchment
Catchment Catchment
Mat akita ki Riv er
Maruia River
Buller River MatiriLake
Wangapeka River
Motue ka R
iver
Wairoa River River Wai-iti Aorere River
Taka ka R iver
Kilometres