Water takes
No one is allowed to take water from an artificial watercourse, river, lake, or wetland, or from an aquifer or any other groundwater resource, unless their abstraction is allowed by a rule in a regional plan, or they have a water permit. The Resource Management Act 1991 allows some execeptions for fire-fighting and for people to provide for their reasonable domestic needs, and for the needs of stock.
We have adopted rules allowing water takes in two of our regional plans. These are the Regional Freshwater Plan and the Regional Coastal Plan.
Taking fresh water
Rule 16 of the Regional Freshwater Plan requires a water permit for all abstractions unless the abstraction is allowed by Rule 7 or restricted by Rule 19. This is a discretionary activity. Drilling a bore to take water requires a land use permit (see Bores, wells and drilling).
Rule 7 of the Regional Freshwater Plan permits the abstraction of less than 20,000 litres (20 cubic metres) of water per day at a rate of no more than 2.5 litres per second, provided the abstraction complies with the conditions stated in the rule. The rule applies to surface water and groundwater, except groundwater in the Lower Hutt Groundwater Zone. Drilling a bore to take water requires a land use permit (see Bores, wells and drilling).
Rule 19 of the Regional Freshwater Plan requires a water permit to take water from the Lower Hutt Groundwater Zone if the take causes the total abstraction from the aquifer to be more than 32,850,000 cubic metres per year. This is a non-complying activity. Drilling a bore to take water requires a land use permit (see Bores, wells and drilling).
Taking coastal water
Rule 73 of the Regional Coastal Plan permits the taking of any amount of coastal water, provided it is not taken from a river, stream, estuary, lake or aquifer in the coastal marine area. The activity must comply with conditions stated in the rule.
Rule 74 of the Regional Coastal Plan permits the taking of any amount of coastal water from anywhere in the coastal marine area provided it is taken for the operational needs of vessels, and complies with conditions stated in the rule.
Rule 75 of the Regional Coastal Plan requires a coastal permit to take up to 3,000 cubic metres of coastal water per day from those parts of the Otaki, Waikanae, or Hutt Rivers, or their estuaries, that are in the coastal marine area, or any part of Lake Onoke. This is a controlled activity provided the discharge complies with the standards and terms stated in the rule.
Rule 76 and Rule 77 of the Regional Coastal Plan require a coastal permit to take water from anywhere in the coastal marine area unless the abstraction is allowed by Rule 73, 74, or 75 (see above). Rule 76 (discretionary activity) applies outside any Area of Significant Conservation Value, and Rule 77 (non-complying activity) applies within any Areas of Significant Conservation Value.