Managing Gore’s water supply

The Gore District Council has been planning. Again.

With the new activity that was unsignalled in its now irrelevant Ten Year Plan, with new expenditure that was unprovided for, and funding by the diversion of funds from other activities.

Once again, the council has chosen to take aim at the farming property of the Sharp Family Trust that they council pointlessly, and to no useful effect, embroiled in acrimony, legal drama and expense some years ago.

For years, the residents of Gore have endured restrictions on water during summers.

It was so rude this year to see Gore District Council moving so fast to develop a new water supply for the Chinese-owned milk factory, from a new well at Gore Showgrounds, water which should have been for the people of Gore.

Cr Sharp makes an important point. The council does risk over pumping the Coopers Well field. Another well does not create more water, but it does speed the depletion.

Two further points. If the council wants to use the Sharp farm, it should offer to buy it, not continually mess the Sharps around, and once again, it’s all about Gore.

Nothing, not even a crust is thrown to Mataura. Mataura, which had to put up with a sub-standard third world water supply last summer.

Ian Robertson

The aim of the Water Taskforce Action Plan is to combine a range of initiatives already within the Council’s 10-Year-Plan or bylaw review programme.

This gives the work the priority status it deserves when you consider the experiences of last summer and the changes that need to be made to improve the district’s water management practices.

Seeking new and securing/improving existing water supplies is very much part of the infrastructure objectives of the 10-Year-Plan, which may require further funding where opportunities arise.

In relation to Cooper’s Wells, the exploratory drilling work was on land owned by the council.

It is important not to forget the contamination incident at Havelock North, which reaffirmed the council’s approach to designating the land surrounding Cooper’s Wells. The Board of Inquiry into Havelock North was highly critical of the lack of protection around that town’s wells.

With regard to his comments about Mataura Valley Milk, the council has made no secret of the fact it has a heads of agreement with the company to supply water, for which the company is paying commercial rates.

The company has also paid for the exploratory work and the infrastructure to get the water from the Gore showgrounds to its plant at McNab.

As we have stated on numerous occasions, there is enough water at this site to supplement Gore’s water demand.

However, the council would need to install approximately 4.5km of new pipeline to take the water from the showgrounds to the East Gore treatment plant, an exercise that would take time and a significant amount of money.

The exploratory drilling work, in Gore and Mataura, has delivered a more cost effective and timely solution to Gore’s water shortage issues.

Unfortunately, we did not find any alternative water sources at the five test sites in Mataura.

However, if the resilience, reliability and capacity of the Gore water supply can be sufficiently improved, one of the preferred longterm sustainable options may be to supply Mataura from the upgraded Gore water treatment plant.

I sincerely hope this puts Mr Robertson’s mind at rest that the council is looking to sustainable short and long-term solutions for Gore and Mataura’s water supply as illustrated by the proactive action we are taking with the Water Taskforce.