Council notified Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) on 18 September 2010 and released its decisions on 24 September 2011. The resolution to make Plan Change 4A operative was notified on 18 February 2012. Plan Change 4A is operative from 1 March 2012.

Download operative Plan Change 4A (2 MB).

Council notified Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) on Saturday, 18 September 2010 and released its decisions on Saturday 24 September 2011.

Summary of Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer)

Council notified Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) on Saturday, 18 September 2010. The purpose of Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) is to build on the groundwater management system for taking water within a maximum allocation volume, with focus on the North Otago Volcanic Aquifer.

North Otago Volcanic Aquifer

• Replace management of the Deborah and Waiareka Aquifers with the North Otago Volcanic Aquifer.
• Extend the boundaries of the North Otago Volcanic Aquifer.
• Set a maximum allocation volume for the North Otago Volcanic Aquifer.
  
  

Groundwater management framework

• Add a new schedule of matters to be considered when setting maximum allocation volumes and restriction levels.
• Provide a framework for calculation of consented groundwater allocation.
• Define the purpose and use of restriction levels.
• Allow the effect of groundwater take on an aquifer’s properties to be considered under the restricted discretionary rule.
• Provide for management of groundwater takes where there is a risk of aquifer contamination.
  
  

Community groundwater supplies

• Identify additional groundwater takes used for community supply consented prior to 28 February 1998.
• Provide for restriction levels to be applied to groundwater takes used for community supply.
• Provide for connected groundwater takes used for community supply and listed in Schedule 3B, to be exempt from minimum flows.
  
  

Groundwater volumes taken as a permitted activity

• Simplify groundwater volumes that can be taken without consent.
  
  

Roxburgh Aquifer

• Correct restriction levels to reflect mean sea-level datum.
  
  

Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer)

Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) can be viewed by downloading the documents below. Copies are also available for viewing from:

Otago Regional Council offices

• 70 Stafford Street, Dunedin
• William Fraser Building, Dunorling Street, Alexandra
• 32 Ribble Street, Oamaru
• Terrace Junction, 1092 Frankton Road, Queenstown

All public libraries throughout Otago

City and District Council offices throughout Otago

To request a hard copy of Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer), please contact the Policy Team:

Email policy@orc.govt.nz
Phone 03 474 0827 or 0800 474 082
Fax 03 479 0015

Download Proposed Plan Change 4A

Download Section 32 Report

Summary of decisions requested

Submissions closed at 5pm on Monday, 18 October 2010. A total of 9 submissions were received (2 of which were received after the formal submission period). The Summary of Decisions Requested, which requested further submissions, was notified on Saturday 13 November 2010, with further submissions closing on Friday 26 November 2010. There were 2 further submissions received.

Download the Summary of Decisions Requested (submissions)

Download the Summary of Decisions Requested (submissions and further submissions)

Submissions available on request

Report on Decisions Requested

The officer’s Report on Decisions Requested on Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Allocation) evaluates decisions requested by submitters and further submitters, and makes recommendations to the Otago Regional Council to accept, accept in part, reject or note those decisions requested.

Download the officer’s report on decisions requested by submitter

Hearing of submissions

Submitters were heard by a Hearing Committee of the Otago Regional Council in Dunedin on Monday 13 June 2011. At the hearing, officers responded to some of the evidence presented by submitters

Decisions

The Hearing Committee made their recommendations to the Otago Regional Council on the proposed plan change on Wednesday 14 September 2011. The Council made its decisions on Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer) on Wednesday 14 September 2011, and released them to the public on Saturday 24 September 2011.

Download the Council’s decisions on Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer

Download Proposed Plan Change 4A (Groundwater and North Otago Volcanic Aquifer incorporating Council’s decisions

Next steps in the process

Any person who has made a submission has the right to appeal the Council’s decisions to the Environment Court (under clause 14 of the First Schedule of the Act). Appeals close at 5pm on Monday 7 November 2011. Any such appeal must be in the prescribed form, and a copy of the notice must be sent to the Otago Regional Council in the manner prescribed by the Act.