Site-specific Assessments of Environmental Effects

B-2 – Area 4 - Assessment of Environmental Effects 5 2.2 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE The cultural landscape in which this site sits is described in Chapter 5 of the Summary AEE document. 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The environmental setting for Area 4 is shown in Figure 3. The alignment of the Services Trench (north to south) will follow the Willows Road and State Highway 25 (“SH25”) road reserves until west of the Ohinemuri Bridge. The alignment will then trend south towards the existing Waihi SFA. The services will cross the Ohinemuri River in two separate areas adjacent to existing bridge structures, as shown in Figure 3. The Ohinemuri River is included in the Waikato Regional Plan (“WRP”) “Significant Trout Fisheries and Trout Habitat Water Class”. This class denotes the value of the river as a habitat that supports a significant fishery. The Services Trench corridor intersects several unnamed tributaries of the Ohinemuri River, which are not subject to a specific Water Management Class under the WRP. Closer to Waihi, Area 4 will pass beneath Golden Valley Road and will be located within OGNZL owned farmland before entering the Waihi SFA. The Services Trench traverses close to the Favona wetland, a natural wetland located to the north of the WTP and alongside the true right bank of the Ohinemuri River, which receives clean water from an existing clean water diversion drain. The Favona wetland has been modified by apparent historical clearance, earthworks and modification to drainage patterns. Parts of this wetland feature have been revegetated by OGNZL and the wetland now meets the significance criteria of the WRPS.

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