5. Allocation of Public Resources Volume One [RPS, R] Policy 5.1.1 – Define and use freshwater management units to apply appropriate management to the taking and use of water within each water resource. To ensure that the management applied to the taking and use of water is appropriate to the hydrological and environmental circumstances, it is necessary to distinguish between the different catchments and aquifers that exist in Marlborough. The Council will achieve this by identifying Freshwater Management Units (FMUs), which will be based on the hydrological characteristics of each water resource and the natural and human use values supported by the waterbody/bodies. These freshwater management units are identified in the MEP. This approach also gives effect to the National Objectives Framework of the National Policy Statement Freshwater Management 2014 (NPSFM), which requires the Council to identify freshwater management units. [RPS, R] Policy 5.1.2 – Recognise that the taking of water and the use of water are two distinct activities and where resource consent application is to be granted, separate water permits for each activity will be granted. Most water taken from rivers or aquifers involves a subsequent consumptive use of that water, predominantly for irrigation of crops. Section 14 of the RMA treats the subsequent use of water as a distinct activity to the taking of the water in the first place. This is because the two activities have different potential adverse effects on the surrounding environment. The adverse effects of taking water tend to relate to the direct or indirect effects on the natural and human use values supported by the waterbody from which the water has been taken and on other people taking water from that resource. The efficiency of water use is a relevant consideration for the use of water, especially as the resource from which the water has been taken approaches full allocation. In these circumstances, inefficient water use could potentially deprive other users from accessing the water resource. This policy records that the Council will require applications for water permits to authorise the taking of water and the use of water separately. The distinct adverse effects of each of the activities will be managed through the separate applications. Issue 5B – The taking, damming or diversion of water can compromise the life-supporting capacity of rivers, lakes, aquifers and wetlands. Marlborough’s freshwater bodies sustain a diverse range of natural and human use values. These values include the cultural and spiritual values of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi; opportunities for passive and active recreation; the provision of habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, trout and salmon; a contribution to Marlborough’s distinctive landscape and natural character; and the provision of a source of drinking water. In summary, the water that flows in rivers or that is contained in aquifers, lakes and wetlands sustains Marlborough’s community and environment. Marlborough’s freshwater bodies are also utilised as an important source of water for a range of uses, including irrigation, industrial, commercial and frost fighting. This water use relies on the taking, damming and/or diversion of water. These activities all have the potential to change the characteristics of the flow or level of water in the waterbody. The taking of water removes water from the river, aquifer, lake or wetland, reducing flow or level. The diversion of water out of a river, and associated riverbed modifications, changes the natural flow pattern and can also reduce flow or level. The damming of water retains water behind the dam structure potentially changing the character of the waterbody upstream and downstream of the dam structure. Although natural and human use values have some resilience to natural changes in water flow and/or level, the taking, damming and diversion of water have the potential to significantly change the flow or level characteristics of waterbodies. Such changes can adversely affect the natural and human use values that rely on the water in the waterbody. Those effects could be as a result of one person’s activity or the cumulative effect of multiple water users. The effects could be 5 – 2