Wairau/ Awatere Resource Management Plan 25 July 2014 any conditions on use, and when flows are high allowing water to be drawn off for storage purposes. Policy 1.4 To encourage use of groundwater resources in preference to surface water resources, where groundwater is of sufficient quantity. This particularly applies to Gibsons Creek, Omaka River Valley Aquifers and the Fairhall River Gravels Aquifer. Policy 1.5 To cancel water and discharge permits subject to Section 357 and 358 of the Act, where a resource consent has been issued, but is not given effect to (for example by installation of infrastructure, or use of water or by undertaking discharging) for a continuous period of two years, and where reasonable justification for the lapse of the consent cannot be given Policy 1.6 To discourage the diversion and transport of water out of water short catchments, especially the Southern Valleys Aquifer Management Zone. The policies will enable and encourage more efficient watercourse use throughout the water management zones covered by this Plan. This will be achieved in a number of ways. A more efficient, flexible triple class water allocation system, which will more closely match water demand and supply, enabling more efficient water allocation use, while still providing an efficient SFR to protect the sustainability of the resource. This will be particularly important for surface water systems, where excess flow during wetter periods is currently lost to the system (for an explanation of the triple class allocation system refer to Volume Two). The provision of incentives for the storage of water should encourage users to abstract water during wetter periods for storage and subsequent use during drier periods. Allocation will be based on water allocation guidelines which have been determined for a number of activities through research. This will enable the Council to share water equitably between users and will provide a mechanism which prevents users “tying” up water for possible market gain. Similarly, where choice exists the Council will encourage use from groundwater resources instead of surface water resources when the former have greater capacity and when the adverse impacts associated with use of groundwater systems will be less. This approach is justified because groundwater resources have a built in storage. The Council will permit the transfer of water permits between users within a water management zone, where the environmental effects are generally minor. However, the diversion or transport of water out of a water management zone can have significant adverse environmental effect and will require a resource consent. Given the limited quantity of water in the Southern Valleys Water Management Zone, the Council will prohibit the diversion or transport of water out of that zone. Discharge permits may not be transferred from site to site within a catchment. Section 137 of the Act permits only the transfer of a discharge permit to any owner or occupier of a site in respect of which the permit is granted, where notice is given to the Council. 6.5 Issue Water use during periods of low flow and levels can create adverse effects on fresh water systems. Although the Wairau catchment has a large groundwater resource, the rivers and streams in the Wairau/ Awatere plan area can be affected by very dry seasons which result in reduced flows and in some cases no flow at all. This creates a problem where 6 - 10