Presentation Transcript

1. Managing Our Freshwater Resources

   Submission by Dr Terrence Loomis
2. Why freshwater planning? National policy directives National Policy Statement Freshwater Reforms RMA Reforms Economic Development policy - promoting the petroleum industry Local issues and concerns Community and business expectations – water quality, supply, droughts Need for a coherent Uni-Plan Over-allocation (see Environmental Services April ‘13 report ) Declining aquifers (see Environmental Services April ‘13 report) Possible oil & gas development
3. Why is freshwater planning urgent? FWAG member: “People still don’t get the connection between freshwater planning and oil and gas development”. The May 9th staff report to Council on the Lincoln U and MBIE oil and gas studies identified potential opportunities but also negative impacts – e.g. Water demand & waste. (Note: The staff report got the MBIE water demand estimate wrong – 20k cu m daily) My own research: I applied international research findings to the MBIE East Coast Gas and Oil study scenarios to estimate water demand .
4. Shale Oil & Gas Water Demand Scenario 3 Scenario 4 Scenario 5 21 years 41 years 64 years 15 pads 150 pads 300 pads 6 wells per pad 12 wells per pad 12 well per pad 90 wells 1810 wells 3610 wells Low demand Per well: 1500 cubic metres Per pad: 9,000 cu metres 18,000 cu metres** 18,000 cu metres Total: 810,000 cu metres 2.7 million cu metres 5.5 million cu metres Typical demand Per well: 20,000 cu metres Per pad: 120,000 cu metres 240,000 cu metres 240,000 cu metres Total: 1.8 million cu metres 36 million cu metres 72 million cu metres High demand Per well: 75,000 cu metres Per pad: 45o,000 cu metres 1.8 million cu metres 1.8 million cu metres Total: 6.75 million cu metres 270 million cu metres 540 million cu metres **Note: Gisborne City’s average water demand is around 16,800 cu metres a day
5. “People of the E Coast will decide” -- MBIE March 2013 Oil & Gas Study Wouldn’t it be great if we had: A regional Uni-plan to provide an effective regulatory & monitoring regime? Oil industry representatives on FWAG and involved in freshwater planning? An agreed plan in place for managing the Waipaoa/Taruheru Catchment (& assessing drilling consent applications like TAG Oil’s Punawai-1)?
6. Where are we at? “The District’s current planning framework is ‘adequate’ to deal with major consent applications”(April staff paper to E & P) Without a water plan and Uni-plan, the community lacks tools to effectively regulate development and manage our resources. 2010 Freshwater planning began - 13 research reports produced 2011 FWAG established - largely a discussion role 2012 Vision Statement drafted – objectives, values & principles 2012 Waipaoa Catchment planning to start (no real progress yet) 2013 Research data being analysed for use in catchment planning (Freeman’ April report to E&P) A 13 year PIP workplan (!!) signed off by Council in December.
7. Progressive Implementation Programme 2013-21
8. What’s the hold up? Apart from contracted research reports, freshwater planning appears to have been hampered by shifting work priorities, unmet deadlines and a lack of urgency. The proposed 2013-14 workplan presented to FWAG last week contains more altered deadlines and rationalisations (e.g. Do we really need a further year to finalise regional freshwater objectives, policies, and rules? How much more data do we need before actually starting catchment planning? Why should it take till July 2014 to complete a Waipaoa Catchment management plan?) The ‘Officer Recommendation’ regarding my submission looks like more fudging and excuses (e.g. Proposing the term “development” vscompletion of a Waipaoa/Taruheru Catchment plan in 2013).
9. My Submission This is about public accountability. The Annual Plan, PIP and Water Plan Work Programme presented to FWAG should all be saying the same thing! I urge Council to stick to the PIP schedule agreed in December and align the Annual Plan with it. E&P Committee should request staff to report back asap with (a) a revised 2013-14 workplan reflecting the key milestones in the PIP, and (b) ways to accelerate planning. Suggestions: Organise a task team of interested FWAG members and others with technical expertise to work with staff, train catchment-based stakeholders, use the Waipaoa/Taruheru as a model for doing 2-3 catchment plans at once. Borrow lessons from other regions. My submission: The Annual Plan should read “completion of a Greater Waipaoa/Taruheru catchment plan by the end of 2013” and commencing Waiapu planning in 2014.