Annual Environmental Monitoring and Science charges
On 13 December 2018 the Council adopted a schedule of annual charges on a range of resource consents. These charges are a partial contribution to the costs of the Council’s environmental monitoring and science programme where the consent involves using a natural resource.
This programme includes:
- Low flow monitoring of rivers and streams with water takes.
- Static water level monitoring for groundwater quantity.
- Air quality monitoring.
- Estuarine monitoring – including sediment quality, benthic community, sediment accumulation, broad-scale habitat.
- Coastal environment monitoring – recreation bathing water quality, stormwater and wastewater, Tahunanui beach erosion, faecal indicators bacteria in shellfish, biodiversity (e.g. shorebirds, wetland birds).
- Installation and maintenance and of telemetry systems and equipment to support river and groundwater flow monitoring and ambient air quality monitoring.
- Biological and water quality monitoring of rivers and lakes (surface and groundwater) where significant land use activities, discharges and water takes are being undertaken, including suspended and deposited sediment, recreation bathing quality, freshwater fish, spawning habitat.
- Riverbed level (gravel) monitoring.
- Science and research into the impacts of water abstraction/water and air discharges/land disturbance/coastal and other activities to support the development of resource consent conditions and to set resource use limits where resources are under pressure.
The activities subject to these charges and relevant annual charges applied are listed below:
Schedule of Annual Environmental Monitoring and Science Charges
| Activity | Annual charge |
|---|---|
| Air discharge - small (eg abrasive blasting; commercial wood-fired pizza ovens) | $60 |
| Air discharge - medium (appliances <1000kW) | $400 |
| Air discharge - large (appliances >1000kW) | $600 |
| Discharge to land or water <20m3/day * | $60 |
| Discharge to land or water 20 -100m3/day | $400 |
| Discharge to land or water >100m3/day | $600 |
| Gravel/sand extraction <2000m3/annum | $60 |
| Gravel/sand extraction 2000m-10,0003/annum | $300 |
| Gravel/sand extraction >10,0003/annum | $400 |
| Quarry/other earthworks | $150 |
| Earthworks from subdivision | $150 |
| Forestry/woodlot harvest <100ha | $60 |
| Forestry harvest >100-200ha | $100 |
| Forestry harvest >200ha | $200 |
| Works in river/stream bed | $150 |
| Water take surface water <5 l/s, or groundwater <100,000m3/year | $60 |
| Water take surface water 5-25 l/s, or groundwater 100,000 - 200,000m3/year | $200 |
| Water take surface water >25 l/s - <60 l/s, or groundwater > 200,000 m3 - <400,000m3/year | $700 |
| Water take surface water >60 l/s, or groundwater > 400,000 m3/year | $1,000 |
| Coastal consents (other than takes or discharges) | $100 |
| Dredging | $200 |
* Domestic wastewater systems which are considered low risk and for which no consent is required are not subject to this charge (i.e. disposal systems up to a weekly averaged flow of 2000 litres per day are permitted, providing allotment sizes are at least 15ha in area and certain set-backs to boundaries, water takes and water sources are achieved).
Annual environmental monitoring and science charges listed above shall accrue from 1 January 2019 and be invoiced after 16 April 2019 for 6 month period to 30 June 2019; with payment required by the 20th of the month following invoice. Following invoices will be for 12 month periods from 1 July each year.
NOTE: In the case of consents for temporary or short-term activities, charges shall only apply once the consent is given effect to, and only for the year/s the activity occurs, until the activity is completed and not from the date of issue of the consent.