By the Numbers – Henley Lake enforcement decision
Greater Wellington is prosecuting the Masterton District Council (MDC) and its contractor for breaching resource consents associated with the operation of Henley Lake in Masterton.
Works undertaken by contractor Master Roads and Services on 9-11 February this year caused an estimated 76,910 m3 of water from the Ruamahanga River to spill into Henley Lake, lowering flows in the river by 40% and raising the level of the lake by 70cm.
At the time of the breach, Greater Wellington had imposed a full ban on water takes from the Ruamahanga and several other Wairarapa rivers and streams due to very low flows.
Though MDC had exemption to take 150litres/sec from the Ruamahanga River in order to maintain minimal water requirements for Henley Lake, approximately 510litres/sec was taken from the river for a period of 49-50 hours from 9-11 February.
The Ruamahanga River (at Greater Wellington’s Wardells Bridge monitoring site) was already experiencing one-in-seven year low flows of 1.89m3/sec, well down from its minimum flow level of 2.4 m3/sec.
Greater Wellington Environmental Regulation manager Alistair Cross said the water take would have had adverse ecological effects given the drought conditions and low flows in the river.
“Greater Wellington sets minimum flows to protect a range of stream values.
“The reduction in flow in the Ruamahanga is likely to have affected water quality and habitat for aquatic fauna which at that time was already under a lot of pressure. Reduced flows would also slow the dilution of contaminants in the river, and affect people’s ability to use it for recreation.”
The prosecution will be heard by the District Court. A timeframe for the case will be determined by the Court.
To read the original artice online, click here.
