No cheap solution for Punakaiki’s water woes

A popular West Coast tourist spot has been plagued by problems with its drinking water supply that could cost more than $30,000 per ratepayer to fix.

A report to the Buller District Council has tabled options to ensure the 81 ratepayers of Punakaiki have a stable water supply – but it could cost up to $2.5 million.

Buller assets and infrastructure group manager Mike Duff said in the report that the council’s initial focus was on fixing the coastal village’s existing water treatment plant.

Ratepayers were told of the options at a community meeting last week, which included installing membrane filtration prior to the existing filter or building a new supply system.

Membrane filtration was estimated to cost $255,000 and take six months to complete, while a longer-term option for a new water supply that took water from the Punakaiki River would cost about $2.5m.

‘‘It would be designed to accommodate the potential Dolomite Point expansion and all properties south of the Punakaiki village,’’ Duff said.

The village’s 81 homeowners contributed about $61,000 in rates a year to their water scheme – an average of $753 each.

A new filtration membrane was forecast to cost $107,000 a year, while a new water supply would cost $316,000 annually – creating a funding shortfall of $255,000.

Buller Mayor Garry Howard has requested help from the Government, citing Punakaiki’s ‘‘national significance’’ because of its tourism and hospitality indus- tries. The area, including the famous Pancake Rocks, attracts about 450,000 visitors a year.

Punakaiki Tavern owner Ian Ryder said the best option for the village depended on ‘‘who’s going to pay for it’’.

Businesses and residents had needed to boil their water since October 16 after ‘‘very high turbidity’’ caused the treatment plant to shut down several days earlier.

‘‘The treated water reserves subsequently depleted and council had no choice but to instate a [boilwater notice] for the safety of all consumers,’’ Duff said.

‘‘The most likely cause is a significant slip or contamination in the catchment area.’’

Last week, the council said residents could drink the treated water following the ‘‘all clear’’ on three sample tests for E coli, but the boil-water notice remained because of treated water storage levels remaining at about 50 per cent.

Treated water storage was last at 100 per cent on November 6 and had steadily declined since.

Contractor WestReef had been investigating the obvious reasons for the drop, such as system leaks or break outs, Duff said.

Until the cause was identified and fixed, the boil-water notice would remain.

The storage level of treated water also had to be above 80 per cent before the notice could be lifted.

‘‘This is a practical measure rather than a public health precaution, just in case the storage issue takes longer to find/fix,’’ he said.

At 100 per cent and taking in historical average use, the storage tanks held three days’ supply of treated water.