Water charging to be proposed for plan discussions

Timaru District residents will pay for water in a $15 million proposal to curb its use and avoid the need to spend up to $40m to get more water out of the Opihi River, a proposal pitched for the council’s long-term plan suggests.

Universal water metering and charging would be applied across the district’s urban areas in a bid to increase the efficient use of the existing water supply, reduce peak demand and delay the need to find new water, a draft document prepared for plan discussions shows.

People would be charged for how much water they used rather than continue to pay the current, flat annual rate. The council hopes it will ‘‘challenge behaviour’’ and notes studies show water meters can reduce consumption by between 15 and 30 per cent.

Water metering would be progressively introduced for urban water users in Timaru, Pleasant Point, Temuka, Geraldine, Winchester and Peel Forest, starting in the 2021/22 financial year, the document, and a proposed budget, show.

The plan is identified as the council’s preferred option in its outline of key consultation document issues for the 2018/28 longterm plan.

The document says a resilient water supply is essential to Timaru’s future. In order to provide sufficient water for the next 30-40 years, either more water than is currently available must be sourced or savings must be made

Water metering comes with a $15.1m capital cost largely spent in $5m bursts from 2021. It would cost another $200,000 a year to operate, plus interest and depreciation of about $1.75m a year.

Further developing the Opihi River water source for Timaru water is also identified as a $40m option for a water network struggling to keep pace with current and projected water demand.

The council gets 33 per cent of Timaru’s water from the river at a site near Pleasant Point. An intake upgrade would allow more water to be taken, treatment processes at the Claremont treatment plant would be changed and pipe work would be upgraded as demand increased.

Water metering would delay the need for such an expansion. If it were not introduced, work would have to start within 5-10 years, the document says.

It would cost another $700,000 a year to operate the expanded Opihi option, with interest and depreciation costs of $3.1m a year.

Developing new groundwater bores and treatment to complement existing water sources would be a $30m option that carried a new, $800,000 operating cost and depreciation and interest of about $2.75m.

Treatment processes would be upgraded as required. Such bores may be difficult to locate and any new development would have to confirm to regulations. The water would likely need significant treatment to remove hardness, iron and manganese, the document notes.

The options will be considered as part of the long-term plan process in an environment where Timaru’s current peak water demand is about 29 megalitres a day. Its projected peak day demand is about 31 megalitres, excluding any further industrial development, the document says.

Water shortages are an issue during dry periods, when there are low flows into reservoirs or restrictions are imposed on the district’s water take. Timaru’s current minimum water availability is about 24 megalitres a day, which can be achieved through water restrictions and water conservation measures.

The metering proposal will have to survive the annual plan process, which includes public consultation from March, to be included in the council’s long-term plan.

A Stuff online poll of 500 respondents last month found 37 per cent in favour of water metering and 67 per cent in favour of retaining the current system. Detail as to options and costs was not available at the time.