Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme Timeline

This is a Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme timeline.

The Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme is a proposed water diversion, damming and water reticulation and irrigation scheme for the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand.

1999 Beginning

* 26 April - the Christchurch City Council adopts the 1999 Annual Plan. [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/1999/May/MinutesAP26April.pdf Council minutes] , Minutes of a meeting of the Christchurch City Council held at 9am on Monday 26 April 1999, retrieved 23 March 2008.] The plan budgetted $150,000 for a 'Feasibility Study for Central Plains Irrigation'. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Archived/1999/AnnualPlan/AP5.pdf Christchurch City Council Plan - 1999 Edition] Feasibility Study for Central Plains Irrigation proposal ($150,000), page 28, retrieved 2/10/2007]
* 13 September - Christchurch City Council approved setting up a joint steering committee with Selwyn District Council, to be called the 'Central Plains Irrigation Steering Committee'. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/1999/September/StrategyResources/index.asp Minutes of the Christchurch City Council Strategy and Resources Committee] 13 September 1999.]

2000 Steering Committee

* 14 February - the terms of reference were approved by Christchurch City Council and Denis O'Rourke was appointed to the committee. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2000/February/StrategyResources/CentralPlainsIrrigationSteeringCommittee.pdf Report of Central Plains Irrigation Steering Committee] to Christchurch City Council Strategy and Resources Committee, by Allan Watson, 14 February 2000, retrieved 1 October 2007.]
* 24 March - Doug Marsh, Jack Searle, John Donkers, Willie Palmer and Doug Catherwood were appointed to the committee. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2000/April/MinutesAP24March2000.pdf Minutes of a meeting of the Christchurch City Council held on Friday 24 March 2000] The appointments had already been approved on 13 March 2000 by the Strategy and Resources Committee [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2000/March/StrategyandResources/CentralPlainsWaterEnhancementSteeringCommitteeMembership.pdf Central plains water enhancement steering committee: membership] . Report of Allan Watson to the Strategy and Resources Committee.]
* July - Doug Marsh is elected as Chairman of the steering committee. The council staff supporting the committee are Walter Lewthwaite, Allan Watson, Bruce Henderson (Christchurch City Council) and Eddie Thomas (Selwyn District Council). [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/council/agendas/2000/July/StrategyResources/CentralPlainsWaterEnhancement-SteeringCommitteeProgressReport.pdf Central Plains Water Enhancement: Steering Committee Progress Report] By Allan Watson to the Christchurch City Council Strategy and Resources Committee Agenda Monday 17 July 2000.]
* 18 December - the steering committee engaged URS New Zealand Limited, a subsidiary of URS Corp., [ [http://www.urscorp.com/Offices/index.php?showDetail=16 URS NZ Limited, Christchurch] , URS Locations, URS Corp website, retrieved 23 March 2008.] for the feasibility study. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2001/February/SuppCentralPlainsWaterEnhancementSteeringCommitteeRatificationofDecisiontoProceedwithFurtherWork.pdf Supplementary report by Chairman of the Strategy and Resources committee] .]

2001 Scoping Studies

*13 July - URS New Zealand Ltd are to carry out the third phase of the feasibility study for $NZ374,300 excluding GST. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/council/agendas/2001/July/StrategyResources/CentralPlainsEnhancementSteeringCommitteeApprovalofTenderforPhaseIIIFeasibilityStudies.pdf Approval of tender for feasibility study] Report by Allan Watson to Strategy and Resources Committee, 13 July 2001.]
* 6 December - URS New Zealand Ltd applied to Environment Canterbury on behalf of the two councils and the Ashburton Community Water Trust, for a resource consent to take water from the Waimakariri River and Rakaia River. ['Assessment of Environmental Effects for Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers Water Takes', Prepared by URS New Zealand Limited, 6 December 2001, Resource consent application CRC021091, Environment Canterbury Consent File CO6C/18965.]

2002 Consolidation

* 7 February - the URS feasibility study was released. In spite of noting: - the community opposition, - the lack of a strategy for obtaining land needed for dams and canals, - the environmental concerns (groundwater contamination from nitrates, degradation of river habitats, changes to lowland water tables), the feasibility study concluded that the project was feasible. [ [http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/conservation/freshwater/plainlyunsustainable.asp 'Plainly Unsustainable - The Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme'] , Forest and Bird, August 2003, retrieved 1 October 2007.]
* 28 February - the Christchurch City Council refers the continued funding of Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme to the economic development unit of the Council's Capital Endowment fund. [ [http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2002/March/Minutes28February2002.pdf Council Minutes 28/02/02] Minutes of a meeting of the Christchurch City Council held at 2pm on Thursday 28 February 2002.]
* 11 October - URS New Zealand Ltd release a geotechnical study that concluded that the Waianiwaniwa River valley, upstream of the village of Coalgate was a suitable site for an earth dam and reservoir with a volume of 290 million cubic metres of water. [McMorran, Tim. (2002), [http://www.cpw.org.nz/pdf/R1099c.pdf Final report geotechnical investigation for the proposed Waianiwaniwa water storage dam] , Prepared for Central Plains Water Enhancement Committee Selwyn District Council and Christchurch City Council, c/- Private Bag 1, Leeston, 11 October 2002, URS New Zealand Limited.]
*21 November - the use of a trust to hold the resource consents for the scheme is approved. [ [http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Agendas/2002/November/StrategyFinance/ProposedNewStructures.pdf Report to the Strategy and Finance Committee] , November 2002, from Director of Policy Allan Watson.]

2003 CPW Trust

* 15 April - the Central Plains Water Trust is established. [URS (2006), Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme: Assessment of Environmental Effects for Resource Consent Applications to Canterbury Regional Council, [http://www.cpw.org.nz/pdf06/Section1.pdf Section 1, page 1.3] , Prepared for Central Plains Water Trust, 23 June 2006, 42156547.66140 AEE R001C, by URS New Zealand Limited.]
* 12 May - the CPW Trust will set up a company to issue a prospectus to raise funds. [ [http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2003/May/StrategyFinance/CentralPlains.pdf Central Plains Water Trust: progress report] Report of the Strategy and Finance Committee to the Council Meeting of 22 May 2003, Author, Allan Watson.]
* 23 October - the 2001 resource consent application for Rakaia and Waimakariri River water is transferred to the Central Plains Water Trust. [ [http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Proceedings/2003/October/StrategyFinance/CentralPlainsWaterTrustProgressReport.pdf Central Plains water trust : progress report to 30 September 2003] Submitted by: Doug Marsh Chairperson, Central Plains Water Trust .]

2004 CPW Ltd and share prospectus

* 16 September - Central Plains Water Limited issues a share prospectus to raise funds to pay for applications for resource consents. [ [http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/MediaReleases/2004/September/16114721.asp Central Plains Water Trust Signals Share Issue] Christchurch City Council Media Release, 16 September 2004.]

2005 applications for resource consents

* 12 May - Central Plains Water Limited confirms GHD Limited as Project Manager, Buddle Findlay as legal adviser, URS New Zealand Limited as technical adviser and Deloittes as financial adviser. [ [http://www.cpwl.co.nz/news/media-releases-2004-2005.html Central Plains Water Limited appoints resource consenting team] Central Plains Water Limited News Release 12 May 2005, retrieved 18 October 2007.]
* 23 November - the consent applications for the use of water for irrigation and associated land uses are lodged with Environment Canterbury. [ [http://www.cpwl.co.nz/technical/consents-designations.html 'Consents & Designations'] Central Plains Water Limited web site, retrieved 18 October 2007.]
* 24 November - Central Plains Water Limited is given requiring authority status by the Minister for the Environment, meaning it may apply to the Minister of Land Information to compulsorily acquire private land. [ [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0511/S00355.htm Plains Water given requiring authority status] . Press Release: New Zealand Government, 24 November 2005.]

2006 and 2007 Notification of applications

* 12 June - applications for resource consents for land use are lodged with Selwyn District Council. [ [http://www.cpwl.co.nz/pdf/Land%20use%20application%20-%20Selwyn%20District%20Council%20-%2012%20June.pdf Further progress for proposed Central Plains Water irrigation scheme] Press Release, 12 June 2006, Central Plains Water Trust.]
* 24 June - public notification of 55 applications for resource consents lodged with Environment Canterbury. [ [http://www.ecan.govt.nz/About+Us/DisplayMediaRelease.html?id=746 Central Plains Water Trust consent applications notified June 24, 2006] Press Release, Environment Canterbury, 23 June 2006, retrieved 3 October 2007.]

2007

* 5 May - a further 10 resource consent applications for a ten kilometre tunnel are notified by Environment Canterbury. [ [http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Resource+Consents/centralplainsaee.htm Central Plains Notifications Additional Resource Consent Applications] and [http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Resource+Consents/Consent+Search/Consent-search-details.htm?No=CRC072760 Consent Search CRC072760] , retrieved 17 October 2007.]
* 5 July - the Christchurch City Council allows Central Plains Water Limited to borrow up to $4.8 million from Dairy Holdings Limited. [ [http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/proceedings/2007/July/CnclCover12th/councilminutes5july2007.pdf Item 20. Central Plains Water Trust issues] Minutes of a meeting of the Christchurch City Council held at 9.30am on Thursday 5 July 2007.]
* 1 August - Central Plains Water Trust asks for the consent hearing to be deferred to February 2008. [ [http://www.ecan.govt.nz/About+Us/DisplayMediaRelease.html?id=948 'Central Plains Water hearing deferred to February'] , Environment Canterbury Media Release, Wednesday, 1 August 2007.]
* 13 August - the Christchurch medical officer of health, Alistair Humphrey, commented that the downstream social and health concerns of the scheme were being largely overlooked in the haste to promote the $350 million irrigation scheme. [Canterbury water plan 'risks health'. 'The Press', Monday, 13 August 2007.]

2008 Hearings

*25 February - hearings for the scheme, which has had 1200 submissions, began in Christchurch. [cite news
last = Scanlon
first = Sean
coauthors =
title = Water scheme under spotlight
work =
pages =
publisher = The Sunday Star-Times
date = 2008-02-24
url =
accessdate = ]

References