Quick response from FNHL
Far North Holdings and Bay of Islands Marina wasted no time in responding to the Far North District Council’s imposing of Level 4 water restrictions in Waitangi, Paihia, O¯ pua, Kawakawa and Moerewa on Tuesday, including a ban on commercial boat operators washing vessels.
One of the two supplies of potable water for vessels using the Paihia wharf were immediately disabled. The supply on the fuel jetty remained available, but only for drinking water.
Marina staff were instructing users not to wash their vessels, and emails had been sent to all berth-holders and renters notifying them of the restrictions. Marina staff would be walking the docks regularly to ensure compliance.
Water use over the marina docks has been restricted to filling freshwater tanks, FNHL noting that some vessels moored at the marina had their own stand-alone water-making facilities, and the restrictions did not apply to them.
Revised signage outlining the enhanced restrictions, and reasons for them would be placed in the laundry and shower/toilet areas, and at each pier gate. Water meters would be monitored daily for leaks or excess use.
A spokesman for FNHL said the Bay of Islands Boatyard in O¯ pua had already been limiting its water usage to the water-blasting operation, and restricting even that wherever it could. Under its consent conditions the boatyard was unable to move boats on to the hardstanding without water-blasting foul from the hulls.
“Literally dozens of local businesses in the O¯ pua Marine Park depend on its ability to continue doing this,” he said.
“The boatyard has investigated its ability to use salt water in its waterblasters, but the unit manufacturers have advised that this is not possible.
“Under the previous Level 3 restrictions the boatyard had an approved exemption of 4500 litres a day. That had now been automatically revoked with the imposition of Level 4 restrictions. As of Tuesday there was no plan to apply for a fresh exemption, but had sourced a private supply of otherwise-unused water that would enable it to continue operating the boatyard, and enable local businesses dependent on the facility to continue functioning.