Opponents of a large-scale dam planned for the Tasman District have clashed with supporters outside the Council this morning.
Opponents of a large-scale dam planned for the Tasman District have clashed with supporters outside the Council this morning. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Protestors are calling for the council to drop plans for the Waimea Community Dam after new costings put the price tag at more than $100 million, $26m more than estimated.
Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne said recently the project - which has been 15 years in the making, now rested on last-minute financial salvation.
Supporters said not having the dam will slow urban growth and curb primary production.
Murray Dawson, of opposition group Water Information Network, said the project had been mishandled from the start, as the changing cost figures showed.
He called for the council to vote today on whether or not to go ahead.
Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
"You have all the information you need to make a decision.
"Let's start with a few things: $28m, $45m, $82m, $108m... is that the last cost for building the dam? No."
The Council has requested a grant of $18m through the government's provincial growth fund to support the project.
It has to fill the funding gap in order to meet a December deadline to secure other funds it's waiting on through Crown Irrigation Investments.
Mr Dawson did not believe the amount requested through the provincial growth fund would be enough to get the project over the line.