An impasse remains over a contentious stockwater race that has divided a small corner of Mid Canterbury.

An application to close a section of stockwater in the Anama area, near Mayfield, was declined by the Ashburton District Council in December with a focus group formed to try to find a solution.

Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown chaired the focus group, which was working on possible alternative supplies for properties that had opposed the closure due to still needing access to stockwater.

The group held a second meeting in May.

Progress to find a suitable alternative solution that suits all parties had proved challenging, Brown said.

“We have met a couple of times and we have reached the conclusion that we can’t get agreement with all the parties to close the race.”

There are varying views and it has reached a stalemate, Brown said.

A recommendation will be coming to the council to recommend the race remains open, he said.

The proposed closure affects 20 properties and had been an even split between those supporting and opposing the closure.

When the council made its decision in December to decline the closure, it was seen as a compromise that didn’t leave properties without access to a stock water supply but at the same time issued notice that those property owners need to start to consider alternative options, as the council’s long-term direction is closing stockwater races.

The focus group’s stalemate was discussed at the council’s recent activity briefing, as was around 13km of Ealing Main (east of SH1) race recently closed and a further 30km of local races in the same area currently going through the closure process.

If those closures are completed, the report stated there “will be an opportunity to then initiate the closure of 23kms of main race which currently supplies these local races”.

By Jonathan Leask