Consultation on next steps for fresh water in New Zealand
Submission from Rosalie Snoyink
22 April 2016
To the Ministry for the Environment,
I live in
others are Whitecliffs and Coalgate.
near the Selwyn/Waikirikiri River. The
The following extract is taken from a recently published book “The White Cliffs Railway
1875 – 1962 Canterbury New Zealand” by Bruce and Richard Maffey.
On pages 70 and 71 an advertisement in the Lyttelton Times dated 12 October 1892
encouraged anglers and others to come and stay in the Whitecliffs Hotel.
Fishing Season Whitecliffs Hotel South Malvern
The attention of anglers and others specially invited to the above Hotel.
It is situated within five minutes walk of the Upper Selwyn, which is acknowledged to be
the best fishing stream in Canterbury.
Good accommodation at moderate rates.
Only the best liqueurs kept.
J.A.S. McLaughlin
In 2016 the Selwyn River is shamefully degraded. You are lucky to see a trout in the
river once famous for its fishing. Today, the upper reaches of the Selwyn look in a poor
state. The water has lost its clarity, the riverbed stones are covered in a silty, muddy
slime, sometimes black looking. There is very little sign of aquatic life and it’s been ages
since we saw a trout. My family now does not swim or even picnic at the river.
There are two camping grounds near the Selwyn, at Whitecliffs and Glentunnel, and
whilst people still camp they often cannot swim in the river because of toxic algal
blooms. What has been enjoyed by generations is now lost.
This loss did not occur over the last 100 years, it has happened in the last 15 to 20
years. My family clearly remembers what it was like when local kids swam and played in
the river daily in summer. They fished, canoed, kayaked and floated downstream on
inflated tubes. Nobody ever considered swimming in the river was a health risk. This
came later.
It is no coincidence that river pollution occurred at the same time that farming began to
intensify in the region, around 15 to 20 years ago. It is no coincidence that this was the
time when beef cattle were allowed to graze the unfenced river bed above the Selwyn
Gorge where once mainly sheep roamed. It is no coincidence that this was the time
when dairy farmers arrived on the parched Canterbury Plains demanding water. During
this time hundreds of ground and surface water takes were consented for irrigation. The
area is now a red zone, water over allocated. It took only 20 years to ruin the river.
A headline in this week`s local newspaper the Selwyn Times reads:
Water Supply Under Pressure (19 April 2016). It begins “Selwyn groundwater levels
are so low, some wells may require re-drilling to ensure continuity of supply”.
The article goes on to report “In some areas groundwater levels are 30 metres lower
than two years ago” and “in other wells at key locations we are seeing prolonged decline
in groundwater levels.” Surely the state of freshwater in Canterbury is in crisis.
Recommendations:
I support the swimmable (primary contact) standard as the bottom line for
waterways.
I oppose the current standards set for water quality which allow waterways to be
contaminated with four times the safe level of E. coli for people to swim in. Swimmable
water must be our bottom line to safeguard public health and wellbeing. I consider parts
of the Selwyn River are now not even safe for wading.
I support the strengthening of standards in the National Objectives Framework.
I support the inclusion of the MCI as a mandatory method for monitoring the
wellbeing of freshwater life.
Water quality standards should provide for ecological health of our rivers and lakes.The
Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) is our most useful indication of the health of
freshwater ecosystems.
I support a hold on any further water take applications for irrigation in Canterbury.
I support reducing the timeframes for fencing stock out of waterways.
It is urgent that regulation is phased in over the next two years if there is to be any
meaningful improvement in freshwater quality.
I support a mandatory standard for dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and phosphorus
within catchments.
I support policies that return the unused water on consents, back to the rivers and
aquifers. It is not an efficient use to transfer to other irrigators.
I support a charge on commercial water users. Water is a commons and belongs to
everyone. It should not be a resource taken for free for the profit of a few. We will not
begin to look after the freshwater resource until a value, or charge is placed on its use.
I am strongly opposed to allowing the Minister for the Environment to delay an
application for a Water Conservation Order.
WCOs are about protecting outstanding features of water bodies. We need more WCO’s
and not a weakening or delaying of WCOs.
Thank you for considering my submission.
Signed
Rosalie Snoyink