No change in water shortage response strategy ahead of predicted rain
Posted on Wednesday, 11 January 2012 03:37 p.m.
Environment Southland has decided not to elevate it water shortage response ahead of the forecast rain in the coming days.
The decision was made following a meeting of Council staff today to assess the situation.
Senior Environmental Technical Officer Karl Erikson said the predicted rain could offer brief respite to people that rely on water tanks for their domestic supply and possibly lift river levels but will most likely do little else.
A prolonged period of sustained rainfall is needed to make any material difference, he said.
“If the predicted rain falls too quickly it will run off land without being absorbed into soils and if the volumes are too little than can evaporate almost as quickly as it arrives.”
The Council will continue to monitoring of the situation, as the region faces some of its lowest rainfall totals on record.
Chief Executive Ciaran Keogh said Council staff will continue to monitor the situation as a priority but without sufficient rainfall, the situation will continue to deteriorate.
River levels across the region remain very low and staff are monitoring the effects of discharges which will have a magnified impact at low flows.
Eight sites have exceeded their water abstraction cut-off limits and Compliance Senior Technical Officer Graeme McKenzie said if the dry spell continued it was inevitable more would reach those limits.
Mr Keogh said Southland’s groundwater stocks have not yet been significantly affected but if the dry spell continues they will come under more pressure and care must be taken to ensure their appropriate management in the coming months.
Council staff will again meet on Friday to assess the situation.
Environment Southland is the brand name of Southland Regional Council.