Week 6 - People

Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme

• The Scheme lies between the Southern Alps to the west, and SH1 and the Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers, lying entirely within the Selwyn District Council District. The irrigation scheme has been designed for 60,000Ha, with potential to irrigate up to 80,000Ha if more water is available.
• With a current estimated construction cost of $345 million (excluding on farm costs), the consented CPW Scheme will be one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in the South Island. 
• The Scheme will utilise run of river water from both the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers. The Rivers will be linked with a 56km headrace canal running around the foothills and will channel water probably via a piped gravity distribution system through 500km of reticulation. Water within the canal will be about 4m deep and 20 – 25m wide at the surface. Irrigable land above the canal can be watered via pumped systems. 

Social Impact Assessment

• Description of the social environment
• Planning phase impacts
• Construction effects
• The effects of scheme operation
• Social effects of land-use change under irrigation
• Recreation effects
• Mitigation and management of effects
• Recommendations for mitigating and managing change
• Community liaison and social impacts management
• Actions on scheme construction issues
• Actions on scheme operation issues
• Recreation impacts management 

The social impact assessment of this scheme identified the potential positive and negative social effects for people and communities during construction and operation, including possible mitigation (or  enhancement) measures.

Specific objectives of the assessment were to:

• assess the nature, likelihood and significance of social effects on people and communities
• recommend appropriate monitoring/mitigation/enhancement measures where significant effects are identified
• prepare a comprehensive and technically robust social assessment that will provide appropriate evidence on social impacts for consent hearings, and any other recommendations.