$2.4m recovery of costs backed

Controversial plans to recover $2.39 million in water-management costs from consent-holders are a step closer after a decisive vote by Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors yesterday.

Rising irrigation demand and declining water quality in Canterbury over recent years have driven the regional council to conduct more scientific investigation and monitoring.

This has fuelled calls for some of the cost to be borne by those who benefit from water takes and discharges.

ECan councillors voted 11-2 in favour of a 30 per cent recovery, or $2.39m, of its water investigation and monitoring from water consent-holders. Only Mark Oldfield and Pat Harrow voted against it.

The controversial charging plan will now go out for public consultation as part of ECan's annual plan, with the final budget being decided in June.

Cr Bronwen Murray was excluded from the discussion by the Auditor-General's office because of a conflict of interest, but Oldfield, Harrow and Angus McKay were granted dispensation to take part. The trio asked most of the questions at yesterday's meeting.

Almost 60 per cent of the money will come from Ashburton, Waihora-Ellesmere and Waipara-Waimakariri.

Consent-holders for domestic stormwater and septic tanks will not be charged under the changes.

Yesterday's vote in favour of the proposal contrasted with the 7-7 split in the council last June, after which Alec Neill toppled then chairman Sir Kerry Burke and two Government investigations were launched into ECan's performance and governance.

An ECan-led working group of Crs Jo Kane, Eugenie Sage and McKay endorsed the charging plan after public meetings and submissions.

- © Fairfax NZ News