A formal warning has forced the Ashburton District Council’s hand towards potentially installing around $1 million of fish screens.
The council’s been issued the warning from Environment Canterbury (ECan) for non-compliance in regards to fish screens, which are required whenever a water take and irrigation scheme could impact fish.
They’re designed to protect fish, including trout, salmon and native fish, by keeping them out of water takes.
The fish screens for three stock water intakes – Brothers, Methven Auxiliary and Pudding Hill – were required to be operational in February 2015.
With an estimated cost of around $500,000 for fish screens on each of the three intakes, and concerns about spending money on infrastructure that could soon prove redundant, the council had deferred committing to installing them.
That all changed when ECan gave the council a deadline of September 1 to make a decision or risk further enforcement.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said after many conversations with ECan about fish screens there has been a “hardening of attitude”.
“Their attitude over fish screens was quite conciliatory and supportive of trying to work through not needing them despite the consent conditions, knowing full well that council’s overall long-term goal was to close as many races as possible and that the infrastructure was potentially an expensive waste of money,” Riach said.
The council resolved to inform ECan of its plans for the probable closure of the Pudding Hill intake and retention of the other two intakes, and to begin work on detailed design.
The council’s infrastructure services group manager Neil McCann said the detailed design would be undertaken in this financial year, but the council “has made no commitment to the construction of the fish screens,” yet.
“Approval to proceed with construction would be subject to further consideration by council and appropriate budget provision being made.”

• By Jonathan Leask