A former parliamentary commissioner for the environment says an $82.5 million proposal for a dam in the Tasman region is "ticking many of the boxes" as the proposal passes another hurdle.
The Tasman District Council today agreed to adopt a statement of the proposal on how it will fund the Waimea Community Dam in Lee Valley.
But it wasn't without opposition, with five of 13 councillors voting against putting the proposal out for public consultation in its current form.
Councillor Mark Greening called it a "fundamentally flawed" proposition which favoured irrigators over ratepayers.
"We will not get the fiscal benefits from this. We should be pushing back," Mr Greening said.
But former Environment Commissioner Morgan Williams, who is heading up an independent advisory group on the dam project believes the proposal "so far stacks up", though he committed to putting "hard questions" to the council as the project progresses.
Today's decision gives ratepayers the opportunity to give feedback on how the council plans to pay for the dam, which includes funding from irrigators, government grants and Nelson City Council.
It follows the ditching of the proposed Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke’s Bay earlier this year after a failed land swap deal.
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