CLIMATE CHANGE

Horizons have recently asked NIWA to look at how climate change will affect our Region, focussing on our weather and what that might mean for flows in the Manawatu River. NIWA forecasts the next 30 years are likely to get warmer and wetter with more extremes of drought.

Unfortunately, the frequency and severity of events such as the June 2015 flood event, the biggest on record for the Whanganui River, are an example of how our climate change can significantly impact our communities. Within the next 40 years we can expect a flood of this size to occur twice as frequently. Within 100 years all present flood sizes are likely to be 20 percent larger.  For coastal communities those effects are amplified by forecast sea level rises.

The current assessment also considers a forecast 2.1 degree rise in temperature to the year 2090.  This essentially results in a 16.8 percent increase in rainfall intensity (a warmer atmosphere being able to hold more moisture) and close to 20 per cent increase in peak flood flows by 2090. 

Some flood mitigation measures, such as stopbanks, may be relatively easy to raise, subject to community affordability. However others such as floodwalls, are not simply raised and Horizons has built some of their floodwalls higher than the current design requirements – in anticipation of climate change. Obviously higher walls cost more to build and decisions around this require both risk and cost to the community to be weighed up. 

Meanwhile, our Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI), the biggest hill country erosion management programme in the country, has seen 12.9 million trees planted over eleven years, and 470,000 ha of farm plans completed. This equates to 20 percent of the Region and 40 percent of the sheep and beef farming land in the Region.

Landcare Research’s original assessment on our Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) is that if we keep going at the same pace we should deliver a 30 percent overall improvement in sediment loads by 2043. We asked Landcare to model the impacts of climate change on this assessment and under a severe climate change scenario the overall improvement reduces to about 5 percent.

Horizons are well aware of climate change, and will continue to identify cost-effective ways to increase community resilience in the areas of flood protection and our catchment management.

SLUI WORKSHOP

Farmers wanting to make the most of the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) plans there will be a SLUI workshop on 6 December from 1-5pm, held at the Rangatira Golf Course on SH1 near Mangaweka. The workshop is a collaborative event between Horizons and Beef + Lamb NZ. Farmers are asked to bring SLUI plans and to register before December 1, by emailing jason.griffin@beeflambnz.com.

NEW WEBSITES

2016 has seen an overhaul of the Horizons website. For many of you, features such as our Environmental Data (Rivers and Rainfall), Water Matters, and Flood Warning Systems are critical – these are now available in an easier to understand way. We have also improved the technologies behind many of these features to make the website more robust for high traffic volumes in emergency situations.

Our science team have also been working closely with Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA), whose website has also been overhauled recently, after an expansion of data to include air quality information. All Regional Councils and Unitary Authorities work with the Ministry for the Environment to provide a national view of environmental standards. They then provide LAWA with all monitoring network data which, through their website, 

provides a platform that enables the public to compare environmental monitoring information across all of New Zealand. This includes freshwater quality and quantity, states and trends, air quality, and coastal water quality.

If you haven’t yet visited the LAWA website, we highly recommend it. It is a rich source of information with numerous factsheets available. These include information on nitrogen, pH, phosphorous, the national environmental standards and water quantity information.

WATER MATTERS

If you are keeping manual records of your water take and take more than 5 litres per second, we would like to install telemetry on your flow meter as soon as possible.  The installation cost and maintenance of the telemetry unit is covered by Horizons. Once you have telemetry installed, your records will be sent to us automatically meaning that you will no longer have to submit your water use records manually as per consent conditions.

You will also be able to monitor your water use on our website through the ‘Water Matters’ page.

Please note: Water Matters is currently being updated to incorporate the new consent numbering regime.

Once complete, your existing consent number will sit alongside your new number for ease of reference. If you need help or are experiencing problems, please call 0508 800 800.

Like the last four irrigation seasons, the “9am checking” system will be in place.  This will include the following:

·      Ensure that you check river flow information either logging into our Water Matters web page or by phoning the waterline on 0508 4 FLOOD (0508 4 35663).

·      The river flow must be checked by 9am each morning prior to switching on your pump or continuing your abstraction.

·      Should the river be above your low flow limit, you can abstract or continue to abstract at your consented rate (whilst staying within your daily total limit).

·      Should the river be at or below the minimum river flow/s you must restrict or cease abstraction depending on your consent conditions.  Refer to our low flow webpage for information on low flow restrictions.