Water allocation planning: guidance note on the Quality Planning website
Planning for water allocation from rivers and groundwater resources is a crucial part of water management. Water allocation plans can provide vital frameworks for managing the taking and use of water from rivers, lakes, and aquifers, and enable councils to address the cumulative environmental effects of water take and use. Water allocation planning is a multidisciplinary process that requires diverse skills and detailed information.
Water allocation planning is evolving rapidly and can be daunting to anyone just entering the field. There is a new guidance note on water allocation planning on the Quality Planning website (www.qualityplanning.org.nz). This website aims to promote best practice in the development of plans under New Zealand’s Resource Management Act (RMA) and resource consent processing.
The note provides advice for environmental planners, analysts, and people making submissions on water resources plans, as well as for resource consent applicants needing to understand water allocation policy. It has useful links to a database of RMA publications and articles, technical tools, and discussion forums and contact details for councils and practitioners throughout New Zealand.
The note recommends a structure for a water plan to:
- take into account the cumulative effects of water use
- ensure that environmental values are not adversely affected
- ensure that the water allocation is equitable for users
- make consistent and justifiable decisions about consent applications for water use
- promote efficient use of water
The note was prepared by Ton Snelder, NIWA, and Richard Keys, Marlborough District Council, and will shortly be complemented by a note on water quality planning.
Ton Snelder [ [email protected] ]