Water dispute ruffles feathers
Albatross centre seeks to settle
STAFF at the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head are calling for an end to a frustrating water dispute, as the costs involved creep towards $1 million.
The centre, run by the Otago Peninsula Trust, has for 16 years been forced to rely on a mixture of rainwater and water trucks to supply the popular tourist attraction.
But, after spending more than $750,000 trucking in water, and with next year’s bill threatening to top $100,000, trust chief executive Robyn McDonald said it was time for the Dunedin City Council to act.
‘‘It is significant,’’ she said yesterday.
‘‘It’s not sustainable and it doesn’t fit with our conservation ethic either,’’ Taiaroa Head operations manager Hoani Langsbury added.
The albatross centre was built on land the trust had leased from the council for 50 years, Ms McDonald said.
The deal included an agreement from the council to provide 4500 litres of water per day to the centre.
The water had been piped from a spring on neighbouring land owned by Perry Reid and his family, who also ran the Natures Wonders tourist venture.
The supply gave the albatross centre its drinking water and water to flush toilets.
However, the flow ceased 16 years ago and the pipe had since been removed, she said.
Exactly why that happened was not clear, as there were ‘‘varying reports’’ about whether the spring had dried up or not.
Regardless, the centre’s water right ‘‘doesn’t come from a specific spring . . . It comes from the property, and there are other ways to get that water,’’ she said.
Mr Reid disagreed, saying neither the trust nor the council had rights to water from his property.
His family had previously struck a deal with the former Otago Harbour Board to supply water to the lighthouse keeper’s house at Taiaroa Head.
But he said it had never transferred to the council.
The trust’s lease with the council was ‘‘nothing to do with us’’, and its water bill was ‘‘certainly not my problem’’, Mr Reid said.
Asked why the supply ceased 16 years ago, Mr Reid blamed ‘‘an earthquake’’ and denied cutting off the supply.
Instead, he accused the council of ‘‘bully tactics’’ and suggested legal action might be needed.
‘‘It will have to go to court probably, won’t it?’’
His son, Martin Reid, said there was ‘‘a lot more to it than meets the eye’’.
‘‘It’s been through lawyers many times, and every single time there has never been a water right produced.’’
Ms McDonald said the trust had tried repeatedly to resolve the dispute, with both the council and the Reid family without success.
Now, it was considering building a desalination plant, costing up to $250,000.
The trust employed about 80 staff and hosted more than 200,000 people each year, making a valuable economic contribution to the city.
The trust’s concerns had been raised with council staff again as recently as last week, but the wait continued, she said.
‘‘We are very frustrated and disappointed as we believe the Dunedin City Council has been in breach of its lease condition at Taiaroa Head, which requires it to give effect to a water right.
Council acting infrastructure and networks general manager Richard Saunders said the council wanted a resolution, but was ‘‘seeking advice on our obligations’’ before discussing options with the trust.
Mr Saunders maintained the council had a ‘‘legal instrument’’ allowing water to be taken from Mr Reid’s property, and ‘‘we would be able to find something that refers to that’’.
Options to resolve the dispute could include the desalination plant, an extension of the peninsula’s reticulated water supply, an alternative spring or continuing use of water trucks, he said.
The council would also discuss a contribution towards the costs involved with the trust, he said.
‘‘We’re looking forward to getting this advice and then getting round the table with them so we can actually move this forward positively.’’