Providing reliable, economic and sustainable supply
Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd (WIL) is a run-of-river scheme with resource consent to take water from the Waimakariri River to irrigate 23,000 hectares. It is one of the largest schemes in the South Island. Ensuring farmers actively manage irrigation to guarantee water is being used efficiently is central to the core of WIL.
Environmental stewardship is a vital part of WIL’s daily operations. The company is recognised as a leader in water management, providing access to a reliable, economic and sustainable supply.
Wrights Road Storage Ponds
In 2007, WIL purchased a 120-ha property at Wrights Road, Burnt Hill, North Canterbury for the purpose of constructing water storage ponds. In June 2013, WIL was granted a building consent to construct an 8.2 million m3 water storage facility. In October 2014, resource consents were issued, however, those consents were then challenged in the Environment Court – but subsequently granted in August 2020.
The storage ponds will collect excess water diverted from the Waimakariri River during periods of high river flow or low scheme demand. It is expected that bulk filling of the ponds will occur during irrigation shoulder seasons and winter months. The ponds will be refilled with water not used during the peak irrigation season in accordance with water availability and river flow restrictions.
Having stored water will improve the reliability of irrigation water for shareholders. Currently, the reliability of water provided by WIL is around 75%, whereas with storage, water reliability would be increased to approximately 92%.
