Mokihinui River
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| Mokihinui River | |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Tasman Sea |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Mouth elevation | 0 m |
| Basin area | 670.36 km² |
The Mokihinui River is a river located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, about 40 kilometres north of Westport.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Geography
The Mokihinui River's headwaters are located in the Glasgow Range and its mouth is on the Tasman Sea. There is little human habitation near the river: the localities of Mokihinui and Summerlea are near the river's mouth, Seddonville is a few kilometres up the river, and just prior to its terminus, State Highway 67 crosses the river outside Mokihinui. In the rugged back country behind Seddonville at the Mokihinui Forks, the river splits into two branches, north[2] and south.[3] The catchment of these two branches is a large inland basin of almost wholly unmodified forest.[4]
[edit] Railway
The last few kilometres of the former Seddonville Branch railway roughly followed the Mokihinui River near its mouth. The Branch opened on 23 February 1895 and closed on 3 May 1981.[5] During this period, the New Zealand Railways Department dumped old steam locomotives on the river's banks to protect against erosion. Two of these locomotives, members of the WB class, were recovered from the Mokihinui River in 1989 by the Baldwin Steam Trust.[6]
[edit] Hydroelectric dam proposal
Meridian Energy is proposing to build a hydroelectric dam on the river to produce 310-360 GWh per year. In 2007, it consulted affected parties about the proposal.[7] The dam would be located 3 km upstream from Seddonville, between it and the Mokihinui Forks. Meridian Energy began investigating the proposal in 2006, following from similar studies conducted by the New Zealand Ministry of Works in the 1960s and 1970s.[8] On 15 March 2008, the West Coast Regional Council called for public submissions on Meridian's applications for resource consents. Submissions may be lodged until 23 April 2008.[9] The application for resource consents and 18 appendices of assessments of effects are available from the Meridian website.[10] The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society are opposing the dam and have accused Meridian of not making public a report from Landcare Research that advised that the hydro scheme would cause significant adverse environmental effects.[11]
Meridian energy has suppressed a report by its own scientists that condemns the proposal, saying that the adverse effects on the environment and endangered native species "cannot be mitigated".
[edit] References
- ^ Land Information New Zealand, "Place Name Detail: Mokihinui River", Geographic Placenames Database, accessed 23 June 2007.
- ^ Land Information New Zealand, "Place Name Detail: Mokihinui River (North Branch)", Geographic Placenames Database, accessed 23 June 2007.
- ^ Land Information New Zealand, "Place Name Detail: Mokihinui River (South Branch)", Geographic Placenames Database, accessed 23 June 2007.
- ^ Buller District Council, Buller District Plan: Part 3 - The Management Environment, 17, accessed 24 June 2007.
- ^ David Leitch and Brian Scott, Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998 [1995]), 52-3.
- ^ Baldwin Steam Trust, "Salvage Scheme", accessed 23 June 2007.
- ^ Meridian Energy, "The Mokihinui Hydro Proposal", accessed 9 December 2007.
- ^ Meridian Energy, "Mokihinui Hydro Proposal" (Christchurch: Meridian Energy, October 2007), 2, accessed 9 December 2007.
- ^ West Coast Regional Council, "RC07150 Mokihinui Hydro Power Scheme", Notified Resource Consents, accessed 15 March 2008.
- ^ Mokihinui Hydro Proposal, Resource consent application, Meridian website, accessed 6 April 2008.
- ^ Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, "Forest & Bird calls on Meridian to come clean over Mokihinui cover-up", published 19 March 2008, accessed 4 April 2008.
