Water work’s done

Hopefully someone will dust off all the work the previous Labour government did with drinking water standards.

Extensive work was undertaken developing the standards, with one of the main themes being the need for staff training. This work also included training drinking water assessors and had two main assistance programmes: TAP (technical assistance programme) to help mainly small water schemes collaborate and learn from each other; and CAP (capital assistance programme) that small and low decile communities could access funds from.

An excellent training programme started, then the global financial crisis hit and a moratorium was put in place.

Yes, local councils in the main are responsible for safe drinking but central government should go back to the standards and legislation that are in place and help by subsidising staff training instead of it all being ratepayer funded.

As for the much-quoted 20 per cent of people at risk, a lot are on rainwater tanks at single dwellings, which were exempt from the standards as how can you administer thousands of isolated water tanks. A lot of councils are requiring water treatment at rural dwellings through the building consent process.

Most of the answers are right under the Government’s nose but I fear another talkfest is on its way.

GRAHAM McCLYMONT

Masterton deputy mayor [abridged]