A Better Water Source? from the Consultation Document

Let’s talk Kia Korero A BETTER WATER SOURCE? We’re putting a long-term lens over several of the district’s rural water schemes We’ve got a lot of water infrastructure consumption. plant is able to produce reliable water This means users of these schemes that in the Clutha District. There are 11 Two treatment plants, Evans Flat and which meets national standards and get their drinking water from these rural water schemes in the Clutha Waitahuna, which source their water they struggle to meet demand during plants face water shortages and long- District which provide water for stock, from the Waitahuna River and the summer. They are not reliable or term boil water notices. for rural businesses and for domestic Tuapeka River, need work. Neither resilient during heavy rainfall events. We want to ask you whether it’s time to think longer term and be smarter about where we get our water from. Option 1 While a single treatment plant would This is cost more to build than option 2, in the Changes ahead for Three Waters Establish a new Council’s long term there would be savings from supply from the preferred reduced operating costs. Water is the lifeblood for our way of Its premise is that councils have the option life, for our people, environment and funding and support to get the balance Clutha River This option could provide 25% (and economy. Wastewater and stormwater right. We are proposing to build one new possibly up to 50%) more water which also play crucial parts. Combined these Council has signed a memorandum treatment plant that will source water would enable further growth in this key services are referred to as Three- of understanding with Central from the Clutha River at Greenfield. part of the district. This plant would be Waters. expected to have an 80 year lifespan. Government and is taking part in the We would involve amalgamating the Just under two-thirds (12,000) of Clutha exploration of future service delivery Total cost of upgrade: $14.5 million. four water schemes (Balmoral 1, 2, District’s residents drink water from one options for water, sewerage and Annual operating cost: $1.6M million Tuapeka East and West) into one and of the 22 schemes currently taken care stormwater. The Government expects (over its 80 year life span). Water unit decommissioning the Evans Flat and of by CDC. to make substantive decisions later in rate: $445. Waitahuna plants. Half of these schemes service our towns 2021. We’re also proposing Lawrence town Option 2 in Balclutha, Clinton, Milton, Benhar, Councils will be asked to consult with water scheme join this new water Continue to source water Kaitangata, Lawrence, Stirling, Tapanui, their communities in late 2021 as supply. Lawrence’s water currently Clinton, Owaka and Waihola. to whether they should join one of comes from the historic Phoenix Dam, from the Waitahuna and Tuapeka rivers The rest are rural schemes that cover the new service delivery entities. We one of the oldest in the southern just about every other part of the expect to consult with the community hemisphere. We are doing work to The Waitahuna (on the Waitahuna River) district. They supply drinking water to separately to this Long Term Plan in understand more about Phoenix Dam and the Evans Flat (on the Tuapeka people in these areas, and water to their late 2021 once Central Government has including its structural integrity during River) plants were built in the 1980s. businesses. Importantly, they are the made their decision and more facts are an possible earthquake. But a new These plants will need to be replaced to backbone of our agricultural sector. available. source is likley to be a better long term have the technology they need to meet For councils that participate in the option. The combined extent of what we have national drinking water standards. here is also a point of difference and reforms, the transfer of responsibilities The proposed treatment plant would be The life span of the new treatment plants we have one of the longest networks of and assets is likely to occur 2023/2024 easier to access and less complex to run. would be 30 years. This option would pipelines in NZ. onwards. For example, access to the Waitahuna produce the same amount of water as Our community needs three waters treatment plant is through people’s A 2016 campylobacter outbreak in the plants currently produce. services regardless of whether Council farms and is compromised during Havelock North made over 5,000 people The schemes which source their water delivers or not. On this basis we flooding because of its location. ill and was linked to three deaths. The from these two treatment inquiry into the outbreak concluded have included three waters in our Option 2 plants are: New Zealand’s drinking water regulatory financial and infrastructure strategies, Continue to including the Greenfield proposal, Option 1 Balmoral 1, Balmoral 2, system was failing to provide necessary A Better Water source water from New supply from Tuapeka East and Tuapeka assurances that drinking water across to present the community with a the Waitahuna Source? the Clutha River complete and accurate set of financial and Tuapeka West. They would continue to the country is safe and reliable. rivers operate as separate schemes. In 2019 Cabinet agreed to create a new information for the medium-term and long-term financial impost. This has Total cost of upgrade: $7.5 water services regulator called Taumata Total cost to build $14.5M3 $7.5M3 been considered as critical in our key million. Annual operating Arowai. One of its roles is to enforce assumptions. For more information on cost: $3.0 million (over its drinking water standards nationally. Annual cost to run $1.6M $3.0M the Government reforms visit www. 30 year life span). dia.govt.nz/three- Annual water unit Water unit rate: $445 from 2025 $650 from 2025 Responding to Climate Change waters-reforms- rate $650. programme. Number of We expect that climate change will mean that the district experiences 12 31 treatment plants more rain more often. When the Waitahuna and Tuapeka rivers flood they become dirtier, and the water needs more treatment before it can Total lifespan 80 years 30 years be used. The proposed Greenfield bore would source water from an 1 Waitahuna, Evans Flat & Lawrence plants acquifer below the Clutha River. This would be a cleaner, more reliable 2 Proposed Greenfield plant water source which is not impacted by river levels or wet weather. 3 Total cost to build for both options will be debt funded Tell us: Is it time to think longer term and be smarter about where we get our water from? Option 1: Establish a new supply from the Clutha River Option 2: Continue to source water from the Waitahuna and Tuapeka rivers 7.

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