Dear Bernadette

 

Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA):
Request for information

 

I refer to your LGOIMA request; this was received on 11 January 2019. 

 

As you might be aware, LGOIMA applies to all requests for information that
we receive.  We are able to respond immediately to some requests, but in
instances where we need to collate information we do so and respond in
accordance with our specified process.

 

Under LGOIMA, Environment Canterbury has 20 working days to respond to
your request.  Your request has been passed to the person(s) responsible
for responding and you will be contacted as soon as possible but no later
than 13 February 2019.*

 

Please be advised that we put LGOIMA responses that are in the public
interest onto our website. No personal details of the requester are given,
but we do summarise the essence of the request alongside the response.

 

*Please be aware that the timeframes for calculating the due date for
responses to requests under the Local Government Official Information &
Meetings Act exclude the period from 25 December until 15 January.  This
will extend the due date for any response to you, but we will respond as
soon we can

 

Regards

Vivo

 

 

Vivienne Ong
Committee Advisor - Governance Services [1]Logo
Environment Canterbury
PO Box 345, Christchurch
8140
[2]+64 3 367 7037 Customer Services: 0800 324
[3]+64 27 225 6434 636
[4][email address] 24 Hours: 0800 76 55 88
[5]Facebook  [6]Twitter 
[7]YouTube
Facilitating sustainable development in the [8]ecan.govt.nz
Canterbury region

References

Visible links
2. file:///tmp/tel:+64 3 367 7037
3. file:///tmp/tel:+64 27 225 6434
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentCante...
6. http://twitter.com/ECan
7. http://www.youtube.com/user/ecangovt
8. http://ecan.govt.nz/

Dear Bernadette

We are currently processing your request made under LGOIMA (1987) for
information regarding the consumption and allowances of water in the
Ashburton district.

However, in order to provide you with the information you are after, we
need further clarification from you regarding the following:

o What specific areas are you wanting data for? For example, by
catchment?
o Do you want the data aggregated to the above area(s) or do you want
the data provided consent by consent?
o What time period are you after? E.g. Usage for last month, last year,
multiple years.
o What time aggregate should we provide? E.g. Daily, monthly, yearly.
o Do you want the usage and allocation values in volumes or rates?
o Should the results be for both surface water and groundwater consents?

 

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Alternatively, we would be very happy to discuss over the phone.

 

Kind regards

Anna

 

 

 

Anna Paris
Executive Officer Operations [1]Logo
Environment Canterbury
PO Box 345, Christchurch
8140
[2]+64 27 202 1932 Customer Services: 0800 324
[3][email address] 636
24 Hours: 0800 76 55 88
[4]Facebook  [5]Twitter 
[6]YouTube
Facilitating sustainable development in the [7]ecan.govt.nz
Canterbury region

References

Visible links
2. file:///tmp/tel:+64 27 202 1932
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentCante...
5. http://twitter.com/ECan
6. http://www.youtube.com/user/ecangovt
7. http://ecan.govt.nz/

Kia ora Bernadette

 

Your LGOIMA has been passed to the Science team for response and I have
been advised by one of our senior scientists that, unfortunately, we do
not hold water usage data from that period, although we do have data on
allocations from that period.

 

In terms of current data, we hold information on the volumes allocated and
used within a catchment (or within a SWAZ - surface water allocation zone)
but to provide you with the information on a property by property basis
would take many hours of work.  This is because there are multiple types
of consented limits imposed dependant on the age of the consent and the
environmental risk to the particular catchment/allocation block. For
instance, groundwater consents are usually restricted by rate, volume, and
interference to other wells, and surface water are usually only by rate of
take.

 

This does not mean that we do not compare an individual consent holder's
usage against their consented volume but when we are assessing an
individual property (or individual consent holder's) compliance we spend
quite some time in pulling information together from a range of sources to
do so.

 

Given the large numbers of consents involved, pulling the data you’ve
asked for together into a sensible format - and checking it for accuracy -
would take significant time and if we proceed with your request we are
likely to decline it in the basis that it would require substantial
collation or research.  All in all this means that we cannot do a direct
comparison of actual usage from 1988 to now, we have to make estimates of
what the water usage might have been in the past to compare it to now.  We
have however, previously created a dataset of estimated water usage from
the earliest consent granted until 30 June 2015.

 

We would therefore propose that we respond to your request for the
Rangitata catchment, rather than for individual consents within the
catchment to compare 1988 figures with current allocation and use data. 
Please could you confirm you would be happy with this - I would suggest
that once you have that data we could set up a meeting with appropriate
staff to discuss it and any other queries you might have?

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Michelle Chung

 

Michelle Chung
Personal Assistant to Director Science [1]Logo
Environment Canterbury
PO Box 345, Christchurch
8140
[2]+64 3 367 7038 Customer Services: 0800
[3]+64 27 564 2339 324 636
[4][email address] 24 Hours: 0800 76 55 88
[5]Facebook  [6]Twitter 
[7]YouTube
Facilitating sustainable development in the [8]ecan.govt.nz
Canterbury region

References

Visible links
2. file:///tmp/tel:+64 3 367 7038
3. file:///tmp/tel:+64 27 564 2339
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentCante...
6. http://twitter.com/ECan
7. http://www.youtube.com/user/ecangovt
8. http://ecan.govt.nz/

Kia ora Bernadette

Please find attached the letter of response and supporting data relating to your LGOIMA request. If you have any questions at all relating to the data provided, please let me know.

Ngā mihi
Michelle

-----Original Message-----
From: Bernadette Facer <[FOI #9383 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 31 January 2019 6:43 PM
To: Michelle Chung <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Your LGOIMA request

Dear Michelle Chung,

Any information would be kindly received. I am great full for all your and your colleagues assistance. Although one wonders how accurate data would be given that one property would say be given ‘bore’ consent to take ‘x’ amount of water but does not use any, the next property however takes over their allotted amount, an district average therefore would be somewhat misleading??
Thanks again,

Yours sincerely,

Bernadette Facer

-----Original Message-----

Kia ora Bernadette

Your LGOIMA has been passed to the Science team for response and I have been advised by one of our senior scientists that, unfortunately, we do not hold water usage data from that period, although we do have data on allocations from that period.

In terms of current data, we hold information on the volumes allocated and used within a catchment (or within a SWAZ - surface water allocation zone) but to provide you with the information on a property by property basis would take many hours of work. This is because there are multiple types of consented limits imposed dependant on the age of the consent and the environmental risk to the particular catchment/allocation block. For instance, groundwater consents are usually restricted by rate, volume, and interference to other wells, and surface water are usually only by rate of take.

This does not mean that we do not compare an individual consent holder's usage against their consented volume but when we are assessing an individual property (or individual consent holder's) compliance we spend quite some time in pulling information together from a range of sources to do so.

Given the large numbers of consents involved, pulling the data you’ve asked for together into a sensible format - and checking it for accuracy - would take significant time and if we proceed with your request we are likely to decline it in the basis that it would require substantial collation or research. All in all this means that we cannot do a direct comparison of actual usage from 1988 to now, we have to make estimates of what the water usage might have been in the past to compare it to now. We have however, previously created a dataset of estimated water usage from the earliest consent granted until 30 June 2015.

We would therefore propose that we respond to your request for the Rangitata catchment, rather than for individual consents within the catchment to compare 1988 figures with current allocation and use data. Please could you confirm you would be happy with this - I would suggest that once you have that data we could set up a meeting with appropriate staff to discuss it and any other queries you might have?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Ngâ mihi

Michelle Chung

Michelle Chung
Personal Assistant to Director Science [1]Logo Environment Canterbury PO Box 345, Christchurch
8140
[2]+64 3 367 7038 Customer Services: 0800
[3]+64 27 564 2339 324 636
[4][email address] 24 Hours: 0800 76 55 88 [5]Facebook [6]Twitter [7]YouTube Facilitating sustainable development in the [8]ecan.govt.nz Canterbury region

References

Visible links
2. file:///tmp/tel:+64 3 367 7038
3. file:///tmp/tel:+64 27 564 2339
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentCante...
6. http://twitter.com/ECan
7. http://www.youtube.com/user/ecangovt
8. http://ecan.govt.nz/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #9383 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
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-------------------------------------------------------------------

Michelle Chung
Personal Assistant to Director Science
Environment Canterbury [Logo]
+64 3 367 7038<tel:+64 3 367 7038>
+64 27 564 2339<tel:+64 27 564 2339>
[email address]<mailto:[email address]> PO Box 345, Christchurch 8140
Customer Services: 0800 324 636
24 Hours: 0800 76 55 88
[Facebook]<http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentCante...> [Twitter] <http://twitter.com/ECan> [YouTube] <http://www.youtube.com/user/ecangovt>
Facilitating sustainable development in the Canterbury region ecan.govt.nz<http://ecan.govt.nz>

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Bernadette

I have spoken with the analysts who provided the data for your request and they have provided the response below to your questions.

“Full effective annual volume” is the volume of water authorised by the permit
“Effective annual volume” is the volume counted against an allocation limit.
These are maximum and are not related to actual water use.

Permits in our system can have 3 volumes:
Consented volume - The maximum volume that is explicitly authorised by condition of consent. This is used for compliance.
Full Effective Annual Volume - The same as the consented annual volume if it exists, otherwise it is estimate of the volume that can be used. This is used to derive the effective annual volume
Effective Annual Volume - This is the amount counted against allocation limits. It is the volume adjusted for Stream depletion discounts (Schedule 9 of the Land and water Regional Plan) or other complications such as non-concurrent use or overlapping irrigation areas.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi
Michelle

-----Original Message-----
From: Bernadette Facer <[FOI #9383 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 24 April 2019 10:46 AM
To: Michelle Chung <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Letter of response to your LGOIMA request

Dear Michelle Chung,
Can you please clarify. What is the ‘full effective annual volume’? Available allocated water? For example those like my sister who may apply for her water allowance but never uses it?

Yours sincerely,

Bernadette Facer

-----Original Message-----

Kia ora Bernadette

Please find attached the letter of response and supporting data relating to your LGOIMA request. If you have any questions at all relating to the data provided, please let me know.

Ngā mihi
Michelle

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #9383 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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