Didymo found in Canty irrigation system

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The invasive algae didymo has been found in the Rangitata Diversion Race, the irrigation lifeblood of Mid-Canterbury.

Rangitata Diversion Race (RDR) Management Ltd manager John Young said didymo was now a fact of life, and irrigators would have to manage it.

He said Waitaki irrigators had not found didymo to be a major problem.

Young said the firm knew didymo would arrive.

"It was just a question of when."

The didymo was discovered by a Fish and Game worker.

Biosecurity New Zealand said a recent sample taken just below Coal Creek, upstream of the RDR intake, had tested positive for didymo.

Further sampling will be done in the upper Rangitata and nearby waterways.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry biosecurity response manager Chris Bicknell said the find was another reminder of the need to decontaminate all water equipment when moving between waterways, particularly during the Christmas period.

The RDR takes water from the Rangitata to supply three irrigation schemes in Mid-Canterbury.

Otago irrigators said didymo blocked irrigation nozzles and took hours to clear.

- © Fairfax NZ News