Long, dry wait over as taps turned on

North Otago Irrigation Company technical manager Ben Stratford (left), chairman Leigh Hamilton, and Weston farmer Bob Allan, who is the first farmer to receive water in the $57 million expansion of the irrigation scheme. Photo / Hamish MacLean

The first water of the North Otago Irrigation Company's $57million pipeline expansion was turned on at a Weston farm yesterday.

About 30% of farmers who bought shares in NOIC were told the water was ''ready to go'' and they could begin to test the irrigation infrastructure they had installed on their farms yesterday when 25 of 85 off-takes were commissioned for use.

Bob Allan's 146ha Weston farm was the first property to receive water.

Mr Allan, who now leases his land to a neighbour, recalled failed attempts to seed clouds in the 1960s and using diviners to try to find underground water. His family had farmed in the area for over 150 years. In the 50 or so years he farmed the property, he said he had faced about 45 years of drought.

The arrival of water on his property was all the sweeter because he had missed out on the first stage of NOIC's first stage, which opened in 2006.

''I got my cheque back,'' Mr Allan said.

NOIC technical manager Ben Stratford said pressure testing completed last week on the six sections of new pipeline that were opened yesterday had raised ''a few more'' issues than it was expecting, and before the final sections of the new scheme were commissioned, likely by mid-October, there would be further matters to deal with.

The ''crucial'' component of the expansion, the 1200mm pipe that made up the main spine of the new pipeline network worked.

''Here's your tap, our one's on, you can turn yours on when you're ready - away you go. Here's what you have been waiting for.''

That was what began happening yesterday, he said.

''For me, it's about the confidence that the scheme is here, it is commissioning up, we're getting water. It gives the other 60 off-takes confidence that it is coming.''

NOIC chairman Leigh Hamilton said he knew there were stressed farmers in the area as the irrigation scheme, first expected to be completed on September 1 last year, was a year late.

''I'll take all the hammering for the year late, because I'm the chairman and that's fair enough, but in the big picture, I'm really comfortable with what we've done,'' Mr Hamilton said.

''I'll take the hammering, because we've got the water to the people we said we would get it to. This whole community has access to water.

''We acknowledge that people have been very stressed by the wait, we know that. We're not unaware of that. So we don't want to overplay that it's been a wet year and it's all fine.''

He would not comment in detail on what caused the construction delay, other than to say if he gave a simple answer it would be inaccurate.

He said there would be mediation with the company's contractor, McConnell Dowell, once the scheme that runs from the Waitaki River to Kakanui and Herbert was entirely handed over to farmers, because there had been lost revenue due to the delay and there could be other costs to recover.

While it was a major milestone for the company, NOIC was not ready to celebrate yesterday.

''We don't want to celebrate the start of something until everybody has access to it and everybody is ready to use the water,'' Mr Hamilton said.