Dairy farm fails to win crucial bid for water

A CANNINGTON farm, which has invested millions in converting to dairying, has had its crucial bid for irrigation water rejected.

Hearing panel commissioners Robert Nixon and Mike Bowden, acting for Environment Canterbury, have refused Candy Dairy Ltd permission to take 80 litres per second from a 150-metre well.

In 2007, farmer Bruce Eggleton and his family moved from Fairview, an irrigation red zone, to Cannington which was not one.

Since buying 210 hectares on the corner of Pareora and Cannington roads, access to water has tightened.

Yesterday the decision was posted on Environment Canterbury's website. Mr Eggleton said technically he could challenge the decision, but he wasn't sure if he would.

He said not being able to get irrigation water had serious implications.

"It's possibly going to ruin me. It's a blow, especially when it comes on top of everything else."

Millions have been invested in the conversion to dairying and when the farm was bought the access to water looked likely.

A nearby bore had been established with a non-notified consent.

In February 2008, Mr Eggleton was given a consent to bore for water and ECan gave a set of conditions which should be part of the application to take water.

However, early last year his application was put on hold as Cannington Basin's water allocation was reassessed. The review meant getting water required the more rigorous process of public notification and a hearing.

The commissioners acknowledged the tough situation Mr Eggleton was in. The consent process, family tragedy, opposition to the application from nearby farmers and costs "had weighed heavily on the applicant and caused him considerable distress."

A dozen submitters opposed the application. These were mainly downstream farmers who opposed the water take because they were concerned it would be connected to the Pareora River system.

The commissioners said there was a lack of evidence that the proposed groundwater abstraction would have a less than minor effect. The weight of evidence was that the take would be connected to downstream flows in the Pareora River and this could affect existing irrigators.

ECan chief executive Dr Bryan Jenkins said the decision and concerns of submitters reflected a growing recognition that irrigation water in Canterbury was reaching its limits of sustainability.

He said there were already restrictions on the Pareora River and further reductions in reliability were a concern.

Mr Jenkins expressed sympathy for Mr Eggleton's personal circumstances, but noted there was a substantial risk in incurring development costs before obtaining the consent for water upon which the development depended.

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