River health vital for region, says councillor

Healing the Ruamahanga River is vital for the future of Wairarapa and the whole district needs to pull together to make sure it happens, a Masterton district councillor said yesterday.
David Holmes said the river is Wairarapa's main artery and must be cleaned up and properly looked after to ensure not only a supply of good water but also a return to its safe recreational use.
He is one of 30 people or organizations that have lodged submissions on the council's quest for various resource consents needed to pave the way for a major sewerage upgrade.
The submissions are to be heard in Masterton by a panel of three independent commissioners in late February. Mr Holmes said warnings earlier this week that people swimming in the river did so at their own risk had to be heeded and if the Ruamahanga was not cleaned up the end result would be "a shocking big cesspit in South Wairarapa".
He applauds Masterton District Council's objective to ultimately achieve a nil discharge of wastewater into the river, which "is the wish of most Wairarapa people", but said it has taken" a hell of a long time" to get the debate even to this stage.
Mr Holmes is happy with council's decision to move the Masterton oxidation ponds off the floodplain, a move he said was the "most significant taken so far", and one which should satisfy organisations such as Fish and Game.
He remains firmly opposed to plans to discharge to land by the border dyke system, instead favouring irrigation centre pivots that distribute droplets by machinery only millimetres from ground level.
Mr Holmes said clampdowns on dairy shed effluent being washed into the Ruamahanga had mostly dried up that problem.
"There will always be wash off from farms that's natural run-off we now need to get rid of wastewater from all the towns going into the river."
Mr Holmes said farming demand for irrigation was putting stress on the river and the aquifer and at times of low flows rampant algae growth soon took over.
"If the river is properly controlled there is enough water for everyone.
"It's my personal opinion that there has to be a monetary value put on the river.
"Most developed countries put a value on water, with Australia being the prime example.
"If Australia had done so 30 years ago it wouldn't be in such dire straits with water that is now is."
A complicating factor was that Greater Wellington Regional Council has "very good records on river flows but sparse records on underground water".
"Our knowledge of sub-surface water is very limited."
Mr Holmes said from a recreational point of view the Ruamahanga was potentially a beautiful river and he was anxious to see safe swimming return to former popular swimming spots like Wardell's Bridge, near Masterton.
Ngati Kahungunu representative on council matters Ra Smith, and Sustainable Wairarapa convener Andrew Stewart have both supported Mr Holmes.
Mr Smith said Maori were guardians of the river with interests in both the environmental side and the cultural side.
He said everyone wanted zero discharge of effluent into the Ruamahanga for environmental reasons but from a cultural viewpoint Maori abhorred human wastewater being tipped into rivers.
Mr Smith said he grew up at Te Whiti and used to swim and fish with family at Wardell's Bridge, a place he said held precious memories for him.
It was sad to now find that both activities were banned there and his nephews, who live in Masterton, could not enjoy what he had in the Ruamahanga.
"Part of our heritage has been lost but one day I hope we will be able to regain it."
Mr Smith said an integrated approach was needed to examine all factors affecting the Ruamahanga.
This would give an overall picture, including what pollution the tributaries to the river were contributing.
He said in terms of Masterton District Council's sewerage upgrade proposals Sustainable Wairarapa considered it was neither acceptable nor necessary to discharge over 60 per cent of treated effluent into the Ruamahanga.
Of the 30 submissions to be put before the commissioners one is neutral, one partly supports and the remainder oppose council's plan.
These include Wellington Fish and Game, several Maori groups and one from British resident Alan Duncan.
Mr Duncan said in Britain continual wastewater discharges into the River Dart has harmed the environment whereas releasing wastewater into the River Teign had been stopped and natural flora and fauna had returned.
South Wairarapa district councillor Mike Gray has been pushing for action to be taken on cleaning up the Ruamahanga for years.
Mr Gray said yesterday South Wairarapa was at the "bottom end of the river system" and the degradation of the waterway ultimately seriously impacted on lower valley and Lake Onoke, the repository of the Ruamahanga River.
The council voted last month to put pressure on Masterton District Council to conform to regional council codes on sewage discharge into the river, being nil discharge to water.
It was accepted that farmers were spending thousands of dollars to meet the code and there should not be double standards.