Water take gets consent

A Lumsden-based company has been granted consent to take water from the Oreti and Waimea Plains groundwater zones.

Environment Southland's consents committee has approved an application by Maka Ltd to take up to 6048 cubic metres of water a day for pasture and crop irrigation.

The application was considered by the committee at a hearing last month and 13 submissions were received, 11 in opposition, one in support and one neutral.

Some submitters were concerned the water take could affect existing water supplies. They included the Southland District Council, which opposed the application because of uncertainty of how the take would interfere with the council's bores, aquifer recharge and effects on groundwater quality.

But in its decision the committee says the take should not adversely affect the sustainability of aquifers in the area. Most of the water would come from overlying aquifers in the groundwater zones, it says.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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