Opinions mixed on reservoir

A giant reservoir planned for Wellington Town Belt land could be vulnerable to landslides and flooding, according to feedback by residents on the proposal.

Wellington Water wants to build a 35-million-litre concrete reservoir – capable of holding 14 Olympic swimming pools worth of water – at Prince of Wales Park in Mt Cook.

Despite not all of the required funding having been secured yet, Wellington City councillors last month voted, in principle, to support the proposal. The council put the plans out for public consultation, which ended this week.

The consultation, under the Wellington Town Belt Act, asked to grant an easement for the $30 million reservoir, and a licence for construction.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council had received 38 submissions, covering a range of opinions.

Residents and lobby groups had raised earthquake concerns, as well as flooding and landscaping issues. ‘‘It would be wrong to say they were all opposed.’’

The submissions would now be compiled in an easement report to be considered by the council’s city strategy committee on August 24, before it ruled on the project.

The new reservoir would improve Wellington’s low-level water supply, which currently holds less than a day’s water.

It would be buried at Prince of Wales Park, requiring the sports fields there to be redeveloped and raised by up to 1.5 metres to accommodate excess soil from the excavation work.

Construction would still be subject to necessary consents under the Resource Management Act. If the plan is approved, work could begin in a year.