Wairau/ Awatere Resource Management Plan 24.6 Methods of Implementation Council The Council will deliberately extract gravel and sediment from Activities identified sites at suitable river flows and stockpile outside the river channel for later resale or disposal in accordance with the Marlborough Rivers Code of Practice. Financial incentives will be used by the Council to encourage gravel extraction from particular areas. Access to the various gravel extraction sites will be controlled in areas of concern to reduce nuisance to the public. Rules Rules are included to control extractive operations, mineral exploration and larger-scale recreational mining. Assessment criteria are provided to protect the environment and amenity of rural areas. Rules will also be used to control the manner in which gravel extraction is carried out so as to minimise any detrimental impact on the environment. Rules will be made to prohibit gravel pits on normal rural land outside the river channels. Rules will be made to limit the amount and in some circumstances prohibit gravel extraction from various river reaches. Education Regular meetings will be held with gravel extractors. Information An information base will be developed as to the availability of gravel in various river reaches available for extraction and the quality of this gravel. Guidelines Provide information on appropriate land use practices and encourage use of voluntary guidelines and best practices. The Council considers that controls are necessary with respect to the extractive activities, including larger-scale recreational mining, because the scale of the operations, the sensitivity of the area, and because the management of the operations may vary considerably. Consequently the effects on amenity values such as privacy, rural outlook, spaciousness and quietness or the effects on remoteness, recreational or conservation values may vary considerably. For these issues to be adequately addressed the Council considers individual proposals need to be assessed on their merits. This will also enable the Council to set conditions on the management of the operation that are appropriate to the scale of the operation and sensitivity of the area. Rules are the most effective way of ensuring that gravel extraction is carried out in a manner that meets other objectives of this Plan regarding environmental and ecological factors. The co-operation of gravel extractors is required. Education techniques will enable gravel extractors to understand the broader consequences of their operations. An information base is required on which the Council can base its decisions on how much gravel or other sediment can be extracted at which site and what the potential concerns at that site are. 24 - 4