5. Allocation of Public Resources Volume One Issue 5E – The over-allocation of water resources creates a risk that the cumulative abstraction of water from the resource will exceed the safe yield, creating significant adverse effects on natural and human use values and threatening the reliability of existing water uses. The NPSFM defines over-allocation of water resources as where a water resource has been allocated beyond a limit or is being used to a point where a freshwater objective is no longer being met. Allocation limits are established for water resources through the provisions of the MEP. Where the cumulative abstraction of water by all water users exceeds the allocation limits, the abstraction creates the potential for significant adverse effects. This is because the limits represent the extent of safe yield from the river or aquifer. Water abstracted in excess of the safe yield is likely to not only adversely affect flows in rivers and levels in aquifers, but also the various uses and values that depend upon those river flows and aquifer levels, including abstractive uses. In summary, such abstraction is unsustainable as it threatens the life-supporting capacity of the water resource and, where the adverse effect is long-term, the ability of the water resource to sustain future generations. Other provisions of the MEP seek to ensure that allocation limits are not exceeded in the future. However, in five aquifers the allocation of water to users through water permit allocations has already exceeded safe yield. These aquifers are identified in Policy 5.5.1. In the Southern Valleys, actual use under those paper allocations has also exceeded safe yield, resulting in significant drawdown of aquifer levels and adverse effects on water users. [R] Ob jective 5.5 – Phase out any over-allocation of water resources. Objective B2 and Policy B6 of the NPSFM require the Council to phase out over-allocation of water resources. Objective 5.5 of the MEP is designed to give effect to this requirement. [R] Policy 5.5.1 – Recognise that the following Freshwater Management Units are over- allocated with respect to limits established in the Marlborough Environment Plan: (a) Wairau Aquifer; (b) Benmorven, Brancott and Omaka Aquifer; and (c) Riverlands. The water resources set out in the policy have been over-allocated with respect to limits set out in the MEP. The policy provides certainty with respect to the scope of the application of subsequent policies to address over-allocation. [R] Policy 5.5.2 – No new water permit will be granted authorising additional abstraction from the water resources identified in Policy 5.5.1 after 9 June 2016. Water resources identified as over-allocated should not be placed under further stress by additional demand. Any additional demand will not only make existing or potential adverse effects of over-allocation worse, it will make the community’s objective of addressing over-allocation more challenging. For this reason, this policy directs that no further water permits to take water from the water resources identified in Policy 5.5.1 should be granted after 9 June 2016 (the date of notification of the MEP). This policy will be implemented by a prohibited activity rule. For the avoidance of doubt, the policy does not apply to any application to continue taking water from the water resource in the same circumstances as previously authorised. 5 – 20