Flooded farms in lake plan

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Six Hawke's Bay waterways could be dammed and valleys flooded as part of an irrigation scheme costing tens of millions of dollars.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council is having talks with affected landowners whose drought-stricken farms would be flooded under the plan. At least one homestead is known to be threatened.

Council chief executive Andrew Newman says the plan, creating up to 600 hectares of lakes (the equivalent area of 857 rugby fields), would allow more intensive farming, especially in horticulture and cropping.

"The potential impact on the region's GDP is in the hundreds of millions of dollars."

But the Green Party is concerned about the effects on ecosystems and warns that damming rivers has the potential to destroy natural habitats.

Greens co-leader Russel Norman said more intensive agriculture, made possible by irrigation, could cause extra pollution of waterways.

"It's very site-specific. We'd need to know how much of the catchment was being destroyed and whether migratory fish and eels are being cut off."

The council refused this week to pinpoint the potential sites at which feasibility studies were under way, saying only that the project would not involve damming major rivers.

Instead, smaller waterways would be dammed and if necessary, extra water would be pumped in from other rivers and streams, Mr Newman said.

Five of the six sites were valleys in rolling hill country and the sixth was near the Gwavas Forest.

Central Hawke's Bay district councillor Maitland Manning, who lives on a farm near Otane, said there was considerable interest in the schemes.

Farmers whose land was used for storage lakes would gain access to water as well as cash compensation and would probably be better off overall.

"But I'm aware of one family who are concerned and there could be others. It's a natural reaction."

PROS AND CONS OF SCHEME

-THE GOOD

Irrigation allows more productive farming, especially with horticulture, viticulture, dairy farming, intensive cropping and intensive livestock farming.

It could also help drought-hit sheep and beef farmers with flat paddocks; they could grow extra stock feed or diversify into cropping.

Rivers like the Tukituki could maintain higher levels during dry spells, with lower concentrations of pollutants.

-THE BAD

Intensive farming means that more nutrients, such as fertiliser and cattle excrement, will get into waterways unless contained.

Up to 600ha of farmland and possibly one homestead would be lost when valleys were flooded.

- © Fairfax NZ News