Water restrictions continue in Tauranga due to continued low flow in the streams that supply the city's drinking water.
An unprecedented situation that reflects the knock-on effect of three unusually dry summers for the Bay of Plenty.
Stephen Burton, Director of City Waters for Tauranga City Council, says despite recent rain, there's been no improvement in the rate of flow in the streams that supply our drinking water, which is of real concern.
"The current situation is a first for Tauranga. Never have city-wide sprinkler restrictions been necessary beyond the first week of April.
"Also, historically, restrictions have been necessary due to water treatment capacity constraints during peak summer periods. What we're looking at now is a different issue; a potential problem sourcing water due to unprecedented drought in our region and the need to protect stream health.
"We are working to bring additional source water and treatment capacity into service for Tauranga as soon as possible.
"The new Waiāri water supply scheme, due to be completed late 2022, will supplement existing supplies, provide additional resilience in extended periods of drought and cater for future growth."
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council have indicated the possibility of less frequent rain events than normal this winter.
This will directly impact recharge of groundwater and increases in river flow and soil moisture across the region.
Burton emphasises this is not just an issue for Tauranga, with similar problems being experienced throughout New Zealand.
"Even though the effects of a changing climate show up differently for various regions, it requires us all to look at how water is managed in a new light.
"We are working hard to find alternative solutions for sourcing and supplementing our water, however none of these will be quick fixes."
Tauranga City Council continues to work closely with Bay of Plenty Regional Council to assess the impact of drought conditions and water levels in the region on our source water supplies.
More information about water conservation can be found at www.tauranga.govt.nz/savingwater
6 comments
Growth and investment
Posted on 14-05-2021 07:40 | By Kancho
So dry years. Dry years of not keeping up with year on year growth stretching back for decades. The most important and basic need of service is a failure. Meanwhile funds for all sorts of nice to haves or why haves at all and worth complete waste of resources. This is not going away even with rate rises as failing to plan is a plan to fail. Commissioners PRIORITIES !
Typical Kiwi attitude....
Posted on 14-05-2021 08:53 | By The Professor
.....let's find someone or something else to blame. It's never our fault. The weather may have something to do with the shortages, BUT, all the time you allow more people in the region and allow those people to build houses, then the existing, insufficient infrastructure is going to groan even more. The answer....suspend house building, put up a no vacancies sign, and build some more infrastructure...e.g. a reservoir or desalination plant. Simple really!!
Gold
Posted on 14-05-2021 20:04 | By Informed
The same people that are blaming the council for climate change, will be the same ones complaining about cycle ways and efforts to get people out of cars. Of course it would have been nice if Sunlive reported on why the new water plants were not ready yet..... because councillors didn’t want to spend any money and delayed the build starting for years. The same councillors now with their hands out for$150,000
@ Kancho, @ The Professor, @ Informed
Posted on 14-05-2021 21:54 | By The Caveman
YOU are ALL spot on the mark !! The TCC has being taking RATES from the existing residents, AND taking HUGE DEVELOPMENT FEES from NEW housing developments, and the have done NOTHING as far as additional water, sewerage, roading, etc, requirements are concerned for the last 20 years !! They have been spending the money on the so called "nice to haves" and NOT the MUST HAVES. I won't even bother to start the list! AND the current LABOUR commissioners are going down the same track !! $42 million to stuff Cameron Road !!!
Time and money
Posted on 15-05-2021 07:42 | By Kancho
Well informed I have never complained about rate increases although obviously if a large section of people on fixed incomes struggle there is a limitation on percentage rises. Rates are a tax so it would be just the same if the government dug deeper into your income. The problem you seem to ignore is the priority of spending. There is nothing more important than water the basis of all life. Terrible waste of money and ridiculous cock ups are everywhere in the city. So you can stop lecturing that it's rates impeding progress as money is wasted. We pay similar moderately high rates in comparison to other cities. It is quiet correct to talk about ineffective, inefficient use of money and everyone including you know this to be true.
We have an ocean on our doorstep.
Posted on 15-05-2021 13:41 | By morepork
Instead of wasting $45 million on unnecessary "upgrades" to Cameron Road (mainly so that the obsolete "Buffalo Buses" can be accommodated) why not look at a desalination plant? It just so happens that the cost of an 11.4 million litres per day plant would be $NZ45 million. Tauranga uses around 40 million litres per day so this would be around 26% of the total requirement, BUT is always there and provides a drinking water reserve if we were ever totally devoid of water. I know its not been done here and you'd think we'd never need it, but it's time to think again. I have seen such plants operating very successfully overseas. Water in Kuwait is (IMHO) the best tasting in the world and it comes from a desalination plant. They get pure water, then add trace elements to make it taste good.
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