CPW negotiates Lake Coleridge storage

Central Plains Water Ltd (CPWL) has signed an historic agreement with TrustPower to store water in Lake Coleridge for use by its shareholders when the Rakaia River flow is low.

Doug Catherwood, chair of CPWL, in announcing the agreement said he was unaware of any other storage facility offering to release contracted water on demand in New Zealand.

“We have to book the volume a year in advance but TrustPower will release it with about a day’s notice,” he said.

The agreement follows months of discussion and has been made possible by the Government’s decision to alter the Conservation Order covering the river and lake.

“This is another big step forward for us. Lake Coleridge is an existing reservoir, and at this early stage the Coleridge Storage will support Stage 1 at least of the CPW Scheme, which involves water supply to 20,000 hectares of farming land,” Catherwood said.

TrustPower would provide 95% reliability for the scheme for Stage 1, he said. Before the agreement was signed, CPW was able to offer only 70% reliability with the run of river supply.

“This is good news for us. Ninety-five per cent reliability is virtually water every day for farmers. This is a real alternative to our own water storage reservoir.”

There is potential for more stored water to be available for future stages of the CPWL Scheme.

“Research will need to be conducted before we can be assured on the reliability of the next tranche of water. We now know the reliability will be considerable and well worth pursuing. This will constitute the next phase of our discussions.”

Catherwood said having reliable alpine water was key for the viability of CPWL.

The positive impact meant that current ground water users who are pumping from up to 200m wouldswitch to surface water, releasing the pressure on the over allocated ground water usage, enabling the aquifers to be replenished and increase the environmental flows in the lowland streams.

“As our construction proceeds over the next couple of years, we will provide equal reliability for the coming stages of the CPW, without compromising environmental concerns for the river and the lake.”

The first stage of the irrigation scheme will run from near the Rakaia River bridge to near the Hororata River. It will be worth approximately $144 million.

A high percentage of reliability is the key to success for irrigation.

Without it water takes are reduced or cut altogether when farms need them most.

We were in North Canterbury in March visiting farms which had had their water take cut. That was having a significant impact on grass growth and milk production.

The North Otago Irrigation scheme has 99.9% reliability thanks to minimum flow requirements on the Waitaki River and the seven dams above the supply ponding area which can store water until it’s needed.

 

Rural round-up

ECann Rakaia River recommendation accepted:

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Government has accepted Environment Canterbury’s recommendation to change the water conservation order that covers the Rakaia River.

The change will allow TrustPower to release water from Lake Coleridge for irrigation when the river is low, increasing the reliability of the water supply.

“Environment Canterbury’s report and recommendation is a good example of both environmental considerations and the needs of the farming community being taken into account,” Mr Brownlee says. . .

Why wash clean linen in public – Alan Emerson:

Farming is certainly in the mainstream media. 

Most outlets are covering the DCD saga and they weren’t helped by some woolly statements from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Fonterra.

I thought the two fertiliser co-operatives, Ballance and Ravensdown, handled the issue well, with their media releases being factual and unemotive. Both withdrew their DCD product and that, in my opinion, should have been the end of the story.

The issue is simple – DCD is safe. It has been around since the 1920s and used in its current form since 1981 and that is the problem.

Because it isn’t a new product but an adaption of an existing chemical, it is not classified under the international Codex Alimentarium. For that reason there is no minimum or maximum allowable level.

The problem is technical and procedural – it is not a chemical or health issue. Googling DCD you can identify all the many countries using it. You can also read glowing references about the product’s ability to increase yields in tomatoes, wheat, barley, rice and grass. . .

Lessons learned on managing perception – Alan Williams:

THE DCD issue has thrown up some lessons on how to manage market perceptions when the debate gets away from the science, Ministry for Primary Industries deputy director general (Standards) Carol Barnao says.

MPI’s risk assessment team discovered quickly there were no food safety concerns from traces of DCD found in whole milk powder, but the time taken for action was seen by some people as too slow and the presence of an unexpected compound was linked with tainted food in some markets.

More than three months passed between Fonterra’s product testing and the withdrawal from the market of the fertilisers containing DCD.

If there had been food safety concerns action would have happened much sooner, Barnao said.

Working groups were set up as soon as MPI was alerted in early November but it took time to complete the testing methodology and the why, when, and how of what happened, she said. . .

Happy to break new ground – Hannah Lynch:

Primary industries might be getting a new minister, but it’s in the associate role where a woman will be getting to make a mark for the first time. Hannah Lynch reports from Parliament.

The first woman appointed to a ministerial role in agriculture is not afraid of bringing a touch of femininity to the job, revealing she wears high-heeled boots on the family farm. 

Jo Goodhew has just been made Associate Primary Industries Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle that elevated the previous associate, Nathan Guy, into the main role.

“It is exciting but it is part of the general trend we are seeing where women who have the right skills are doing anything,” Goodhew said. 

“Women are going into roles that were previously held by men but now it’s just recognition that if you have got the skills it doesn’t matter what gender you are.”  . . .

MyFarm expanding to sheep and beef farms – Hugh Stringleman:

MyFarm intends to use its farm ownership syndication model for sheep and beef farms as well as dairy farms.

It put together one sheep and beef farm syndicate in 2010, for Kaiangaroa farm east of Taihape, and during this year will offer several more.

MyFarm director Andrew Watters would not specify the locations but gave parameters for the suitable properties and regions.

They would be mainly sheep-breeding and lamb-finishing properties, with beef cattle only additional. . .

Farmers Preparing to Steak Their Claim :

Farmers across the country are selecting their entries for the 2013 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Steak of Origin.

The competition to find the country’s most tender and tasty steak is entering its 11th year and is keenly contested nationwide.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand CEO, Dr Scott Champion, says the competition is taken very seriously and winning has become a badge of honour.

“The Steak of Origin rewards farmers for their efforts and showcases the skill in the New Zealand beef farming industry,” says Champion. . .

Freshman Sire Highlights Final Day of Karaka 2013:

New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2013 National Yearling Sales Series has drawn to a close today at Karaka with the final 212 yearlings of the Festival Sale concluding a bumper seven days of selling that has seen a total of 1021 lots traded for $72,387,700.

For the third day in a row Westbury Stud’s first season sire Swiss Ace (Secret Savings) provided the top price of the day, this time it was the colt at Lot 1353 from the four-time winning Stravinsky mare Poetic Music bought by Rogerson Bloodstock for $95,000.
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Top lot of the day the Swiss Ace colt (Lot 1353) purchased by Rogerson Bloodstock for $95,000

“He was the nicest horse here today and he proved that because he was the top lot of the day.

http://www.fwplus.co.nz/article/alternative-view-why-wash-clean-linen-in-public?p=6

Water waste

When we crossed the Rangitata and Rakaia Rivers last Friday they were in flood, braids joined as the water flowed bank to bank.

The occasional high flow can be good for river health, flushing it out but I don’t think it needed as much as it was getting last week to do that job.

Diverting some of the water at high flow into storage would provide water for recreation and irrigation without doing any harm to the river.