THE WEST COASTREGIONAL COUNCIL

REGIONAL REPORTREGIONAL REPORTN E W S L E T T E R March 2009

Message from the Chair... In these uncertain economic times the Council currently has the challenge of putting together a Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) that sets out Council’s funding and projects the next ten years: 2009 - 2019. It is important for us as a Council to hear from you, the public, on what you expect from the Council over the next ten years. We’d like to see ratepayers participate by making submissions on this document. The draft LTCCP will be released after the 14 April Council meeting. Please take some time to have a look through the summary documents and put pen to paper if you want to make a comment.Council expects to hold rates again this year, but will make a small increase that matches the growth in rateable properties on the West Coast.We are promoting a modest cost increase for the Civil Defence special rate. The annual cost of this

increase for the average homeowner will be less than a dollar. This fund helps us to be prepared for a major regional emergency. We will seek Government funding to match the ratepayer contribution. An 18 hour exercise is being arranged for September 2009 to practice how well our team will communicate and coordinate during a crisis - the regional HQ forms a link between the District Council response teams and the National Crisis Centre in Wellington.The Council’s environmental work is proceeding steadily. We will be releasing some planning work later this year that will combine our three main regional Plans into one, and will at the same time review our approach with management of Lake Brunner water quality. We will invite your input into this later in the year.

Ross ScarlettChairman, West Coast Regional Council

Updates on Hydro-Electricity Power Scheme ProposalsArnold Valley - TrustPowerOn 13 November 2008, the joint Hearing Committee of the West Coast Regional Council and Grey District Council released its decision for TrustPower Limited’s Arnold Valley Hydro Electricity Power Scheme consent applications. The Committee granted the consent applications and its decision can be viewed on the website www.arnoldpower.co.nz. Four submitters have appealed the decision and TrustPower has appealed some of the consent conditions. At the time of writing this report, the Environment Court has not yet set a timetable for dealing with the appeals.

Mokihinui River - Meridian EnergyThe hearing for Meridian Energy Limited’s proposed Mokihinui River Hydro Electricity Power Scheme was adjourned in October 2008. The hearing will reconvene in Westport on 15 April 2009. In the interim, the Hearing Committee has been reviewing the substantial evidence presented in relation to the proposal and met and undertook a further site visit in January 2009 to assist its determination of the consent applications. Hearing information is available on our website at www.wcrc.govt.nz/mokihinui.

Stockton Plateau – Hydro Developments Ltd (HDL)Hydro Developments Limited (HDL) has applied to the West Coast Regional Council and Buller District Council for resource consents to construct and operate a hydro electricity power scheme on the Stockton Plateau. The scheme will involve the damming of water from various creeks and streams on the Stockton Plateau that have been impacted by acid mine drainage. Water will be contained in two roller compacted concrete constructed dams and will then be diverted via

tunnels to a power station in Granity township. The ‘spent’ water will be discharged off shore of Granity, via a tunnel and pipe outfall. The consent applications were publicly notified, with the submis-sion period closing on 30 January. A total of 49 parties submitted on the applications. Approximately 75% of submissions support or do not oppose the applications. The ocean outfall component of the scheme is a “restricted coastal activity” and therefore the consent applications will need to be determined by a Hearing Committee of at least three Commissioners, including one ap-pointed by the Minister of Conservation. An assessment of what, if any, further information is required in relation to the scheme is currently being undertaken.

To contact a staff member about an article in this newsletter or to make an enquiry phone:Greymouth 03 768 0466 Westland & Buller 0508 800 118 Fax 03 768 7133 Email info@wcrc.govt.nz

Paying Your Rates? Council now operates a direct debit system for payment of its rates accounts.This means: • No more forgetting to pay your rates before the due date. • No more penalties to pay on late payments.• No need to post date cheques.Payments can be made to suit your budget.

We can offer a number of different payment options, e.g. weekly, fortnightly, monthly or per instalment.

If you would like to use Ratepay as a method of payment or would like more information please phone our office on:

0508 800 118 or call into our office and pick up a form.

Other payment options include:• Posting in our prepaid envelope enclosed with rates account.• Over the counter at any Westpac branch on the West Coast. • Paying via internet or telephone banking. (Our details are lodged with all major banks.)Our bank account details can be found on the back of the invoice.

Contact Recreation Report for Summer 2008-2009The West Coast Regional Council carries out monthly water quality monitoring at popular recreation sites during the summer months to assess the health risk to public users. Levels of E.coli and Enterococci bacteria are used to indicate potential health risks to people swimming at these sites.

Most sites tested from November to January were within the low risk category, including:

Vector Control ServicesVector Control Services (VCS) is the West Coast Regional Council’s business unit and has been set up to deliver TB con-trol/eradication contracts on behalf of the Animal Health Board, and other field work for the Council.

Vector Control Services is currently involved in possum control contracts, TB surveys, TB research contracts, a Didymo awareness programme and possum population monitoring.

Our locally based team is also trained to assist in Oil Spill Re-sponse, Didymo sampling, and as research assistants.

Vector Control Services offers the following services:

Burning of Banned SubstancesSome activities cause local air pollution by the release of toxic materials, including dioxins. For example, burning tyres in the open emits significant quantities of hazardous air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins and volatile organic compounds.

The public are reminded that backyard (open air) burning of tyres, oil and plastic coated wire have been banned activities since October 2004.

Water-skiers at Lake Brunner enjoy quality water quality conditions for their sport this summer. Photo: C Helem, WCRC.

Vector Control Services & Agricultural Spraying Services. Contact 03 768 9674 for any enquiries. Photo: R. Beal, VCS

A view over the site of the planned reservoir below the confluence of Fly and Plover Streams, Stockton Plateau. The lake would cover 50ha of the basin. Photo: HDL

• Buller River @ Shingle Beach• Rapahoe Beach @ End of Statham St• Nelson Creek @ Swimming Hole Reserve• Grey River @ Taylorville Swimming Hole• Cobden Beach @ Bright St West End• Blaketown Beach @ South Tiphead

• Arnold River @ Blair Rd No.2 Bridge• Arnold River @ Kotuku Fishing Access• Lake Brunner @ Cashmere Bay

Boat Ramp• Lake Brunner @ Iveagh Bay• Lake Brunner @ Moana

• Hokitika Beach @ Hokitika• Lake Kaniere @ Hans Bay Boat Ramp• Lake Kaniere @ Hans Bay Jetty• Lake Kaniere @ Sunny Bight

However some sites have exceeded low risk levels and not always been so safe for swimming. These include:

• The Orowaiti Lagoon @ Picnic Area which consistently exceeded low risk levels from November through to January.• Blaketown Lagoon @ Slipway Beach and Buller River @ Marrs Beach which exceeded the low risk threshold in November and also

in January.• Kaniere River @ Kaniere-Kokatahi Rd, Seven Mile Creek @ SH6

Rapahoe, and Crooked River @ Te Kinga which exceeded the low risk threshold in December (only)

In most cases exceedences were within an acceptable range. However, Orowaiti Lagoon @ Picnic Area had unacceptably high levels of faecal coliforms from November to December. Buller River @ Marrs Beach and Crooked River at Te Kinga also had unac-ceptably high levels of faecal indicator bacteria in November and December respectively.

High rainfall causes increases levels of faecal indicator bacte-ria in waterways, particularly downstream of urban areas and farmland. It is advised that people avoid swimming in these areas for at least two days following heavy rainfall.

1 Agricultural Pest Animal Control a Possumsb Rabbitsc Stoats e Goats and Pigs

2 Agricultural Pest Plant Control a Gorseb Blackberryc Ragwortd Thistles

For a competitively priced quote for work needed on your property please call 03 768 9674.

Greymouth Floodwalls The Greymouth floodwalls were initially constructed in the late 1980s and early 1990s to protect the town from a 1 in 50 year flood event plus freeboard. Recent riverbed cross section analysis of the Grey River reveals that the floodwalls need to be raised to meet the same standard they were initially con-structed for. The Regional Council administers a fund, raised by Greymouth Rating District ratepayers, that will meet at least part of the cost of this upgrade. The Council has applied for, and been granted, a resource consent to proceed with the work.

It had been assumed that the Greymouth ratepayers simply wanted the wall raised to its original level of protection (the 50 year flood level), but it has recently been suggested that the wall should be raised to a higher level of protection - to the 150 year level. Council is preparing an estimate of the costs for the 50 year level of protection, and comparing that to the costs of the 150 year level of protection. This cost information will be circulated to the affected ratepayers soon and a response sought from them on which option is preferred. Council will make the final decision. In the interim other works authorised by the resource consent will commence, such as the clearing of vegetation from Cobden Island.

State of Water Quality in the West Coast RegionIn June 2008 the Council completed its latest State of the Environment (SOE) report on Surface Water Quality in the region. From 1996 41 river sites in the region have been sampled. Biological indicator studies showed three quarters of sampled sites to have slight to un-impacted water quality, with the remainder consistently rating as having moderate to poor quality. When data from all sites was combined, significant improving trends were apparent for turbidity, faecal coliforms and E-coli. Ammonical nitrogen and water clarity also improved, but not as significantly.

There have been fewer exceedences of guideline levels at many swimming areas over the past 2 years. Bacterial water quality has improved most noticeably improved in the recreational areas around the Buller River mouth since the new Westport sewage treatment plant was commissioned.

Although ammonical nitrogen has dropped, other forms of nitrate in our waters have increased overall, consistent with national patterns. Typically, waterways in pasture dominated catchments had poorer water quality than those in indigenous forest and it appears that while point source pollution has decreased, diffuse source pollution may have increased.

Lake BrunnerThe Proposed Water Management Plan (2007) states that water quality in Lake Brunner shall be maintained or improved. Trend analy-sis was conducted on 1992-2008 data collected at the central lake monitoring site. Trends were observed for increasing nutrients, phy-toplankton and decreasing clarity. Cashmere Bay had the poorest water quality, compared with Iveagh Bay and the centre of the lake. While the data record for Iveagh and Cashmere Bay is shorter than that of the central lake, there appeared to be some consistency with patterns observed at the central lake site, particularly with decreasing clarity.

Update from Regional Waste Minimisation OfficerLouis Brown works as the Regional Waste Minimisation Officer for the four councils on the West Coast. He is contracted to work with schools and businesses across the region to help them to reduce their waste, in conjunction with the members of the West Coast Waste Working Group. “Its about looking at the definition of waste, and challenge the concept of the “waste” itself”, Louis says.

Louis is based in the Buller District at present, but is working around the whole region.

Louis invites schools, businesses and all other relevant individuals and organizations to contact him to ask about the free services, advice and resources he has avaliable. Phone (03)789 7709 or 021 47 01 01.

Buller Mayor Pat McManus with Louis Brown at the Love NZ Public Recycling Launch, Dec 2008 Photo: WCRC Library

Rehabilitation of Cobden QuarryIn 2005 Council decided that as the Cobden quarry had reached the end of its useful life, it would be “tidied up”, being in full view of Greymouth townspeople. Several meetings were held between Council and other interest-ed parties such as Progress Cobden and Rotary, and by May two contracts had been let to make a start on the rehabilitation. The first was to landscape the site with earthmoving equipment and the second to come up with a planting plan for the whole area. By mid-year contractors had completed benching of the main quarry area, formed a bund along the road front and stockpiled all the useable rock on the flat area behind the bund. To ensure any trees planted on the bund got a good start extra soil was also brought in for this area. A planting plan was ready by July and planting of the bund was completed by Origin Landscapes and volunteer helpers from Cobden School and the New Life Church. Greymouth Rotary donated 50 rata trees, and a Honda TreeFund grant supplied the rest.With such a large site, and a potentially dangerous one (large rocks still fall from the high back wall at times), it was decided that hand-planting of the lower terraces, as per the planting plan, would be carried out as funds became available and the upper terraces would be left to self-seed from bush above the quarry.In practice this decision has worked well and over the following three years (2006 - 2008), volunteer groups have planted trees sourced from further Honda TreeFund grants and donated plants on the first three terraces. The first terrace plantings occurred in May 2006 when DOC staff on a staff volunteer work day, planted 400 trees on the lower terraces. Since then there have further plantings on the lower terraces by groups from Community Corrections, and more are planned.

We are constantly bombarded with messages on how to ‘Get Ready to Get Thru’ but never has this message struck home as much as now when watching the tragedy unfolding with the Victorian bush fires. This tragic event has had wide reach-ing consequences on families and communities. While we are not as susceptible to a bush fire event such as this, we are at risk from other events.

Earthquakes and flooding are our biggest risks. There were 968 natural hazard events recorded throughout New Zealand in 2008 although the majority of these were minor with limited impacts. We had a major wind event in July which affected many residents up and down the coast, particularly in the greater Greymouth area, as well as several modest flood events throughout the year. Visit www.getthru.govt.nz for advice on everything you need to get ready.

Readiness for an Alpine Fault EventChris Manuel, of Three Mile near Hokitika, has a year’s leave in 2009 from his job as Deputy Principal at Westland High School to undertake research into the Hokitika community‘s awareness and preparedness for an Alpine Fault earthquake.

Chris was awarded a New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellowship which is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Chris will be working with three agencies over the year to help him carry out his quest. The agencies are the West Coast Regional Council, Westland District Council and the University of Canterbury’s Department of Geological Sciences. You can keep track of Chris’s work by checking his Alpine Fault Community Research (Hokitika) blog at www.west-landhigh.school.nz/home/chrismanuel .

As a result of both hand-planting and self-seeding the quarry terraces have greened up noticeably in 2009. Photo: M Trayes, WCRC

Chris checks out just where the Alpine Fault is behind Hokitika in preparation for the year ahead. Photo: L Murphy

Rules in the Regional Pest Plant Strategy The Council’s Pest Plant Strategy contains rules for bound-ary control of Gorse, Broom, Ragwort and Giant Buttercup. If your neighbour has any of these pest plants close to your common boundary, and you are maintaining your side of the boundary clear of that plant, you can require your neighbour to clear their side as well.

The Strategy rules require Nodding Thistle, Spartina, African Feather Grass and Coltsfoot to be controlled by land occupi-ers at any location where they occur.

There are also progressive control areas identified in the Strategy, where private landowners are encouraged, but not required, to control various pest plants (e.g. Wild Ginger, Gun-nera, Himalayan Honeysuckle…). Within these progressive control areas the Department of Conservation is taking the lead role. This approach will be reviewed in 2010 when the Strategy will be re-opened for public submissions.

If you would like more information about the Regional Pest Plant Management Strategy please contact our Environmental Information Officer, or see our website at www.wcrc.govt.nz under “Plans & Strategies/Publications/Pest Plants”.

Ragwort is a prolific seeder. Members of the West Coast Ragwort Control Trust are hoping this situation will improve with releases of their new plume moth biocontrol. Photo: WCRC Photo Library

Farm Compliance around the RegionRegional Council Compliance Officers have been busy visiting farms all over the West Coast Region and have found that some farms still do not comply with the current effluent discharge rules. The Council has consequently undertaken enforcement action to address the non-compliance.

It is essential that farm owners and their employees or share-milkers understand the effluent discharge rules. Compliant systems need to divert clean stormwater away from effluent treatment ponds to improve their effectiveness.

On a positive note Council Officers have noted that bridge and culvert construction is occurring in most farming catchments, which will greatly improve water quality. Council staff will be follow-ing up with landowners where bridges or culverts are still required.

If you have any questions regarding stock crossings, earth-works or effluent management please contact a member of the Council’s Compliance team.

New stock bridge over Flowery Creek on Glenn and Linda Robinson’s dairy farm at Arahura. With cows no longer needing to ford the stream water quality should improve to the benefit of whitebait in the lower reaches of the creek where it flows into the Arahura River estuary. Photo: G Schist