ORC to review Contact Energy's consent conditions

​Back in July there was a brief one in five year window where ORC could trigger a review of resource consent conditions relating to the effects of the Clyde Dam. The Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust submitted two open letters of recommendation to the ORC to request this process be triggered.

Last week, ORC revealed they will progress with a review of conditions associated with the Landscape Visual Amenity Management Plan (LVAMP). Current consents expire in 2042, however, the 5-year windows allow for reassessments and necessary changes to better comply with the RMA.

As the community is well aware, the dam's impact on the environment is abundantly clear with lake weed, sediment and driftwood reducing access, cleanliness, biodiversity and visual amenity of Bannockburn Inlet and the Kawara arm. The ORC acknowledge that the current consent conditions do not provide a set of performance criteria to evaluate compliance. We hope an assessment will help to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects on the environment as a result of the dam’s operations. Contact has openly welcomed the review and says it will help to better outline all stakeholder’s obligations.

We thank the community for their support over the last few years to get to this stage and for all those who signed our open letter to the ORC that resulted in this review. We look forward to ORC’s final assessment and will be sure to keep the community updated on the review's progress.

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