20 January 2010

Public to have their say on water supply options

A fresh round of meetings to gauge public opinion on the best options for a long-term water supply for the district will get underway in February, Mayor Jenny Rowan said today.

“We’ve made good progress on the five-year project, which aims to secure additional supply for the Paraparaumu/Raumati/Waikanae catchment. An initial round of meetings with interested parties in December identified some of the values which are important to the community.

“The next round of public meetings will aim to further identify and clarify those values.”

What the values are will inform the criteria used to assess how the various water supply options are graded and that will lead to the removal of many of the more than 30 options currently on the table, Ms Rowan said.

“We want to arrive at the best solution for the district by working through the selection criteria with the community, and by thoroughly examining technical aspects of the various options,” Ms Rowan said. “Our water is precious and we encourage all residents to have their say on this important issue.”

Apart from the public meetings, people have the opportunity to provide feedback through forms in newspapers, through the Council website or by contacting the Council’s service centres for submission forms. Copies of the information will also be included with the next rates account due for distribution in early February.

“Council is hoping to make a final decision on a preferred solution in June 2010 with construction of the water supply solution scheduled for completion by 2015.”

The meetings are as follows:

• Otaki - Gertrude Atmore Supper Room – Saturday, 30 January 2010, 10.00am.
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• Paekakariki – St Peter’s Hall – Tuesday, 2 February 2010, 7.00pm (as part of the Paekakariki Community Board meeting).
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• Paraparaumu/Raumati – Community Centre, Ngahina St – Wednesday, 3 February 2010, 7.00pm.
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• Waikanae – Senior Citizens Hall – Thursday, 4 February 2010, 7.00pm.
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“Reducing the amount of water we use is an essential element of the district’s water strategy and we’re urging residents to use water sensibly. The goal is to reduce water use to a peak target of 400 litres per person per day.

“In the crucial Paraparaumu/Raumati/Waikanae catchment, where additional supply is required, the peak use in 2008/09 summer was around 525 litres per person per day in Paraparaumu/Raumati and around 755 litres per person per day in Waikanae,” Ms Rowan said.

As part of the Annual Plan process, Council would be finalising a Water Conservation Improvement Plan that will outline measures to help achieve the 400 litres/person/day over the next five years.

Education, financial incentives and a review of the water supply bylaw were areas that would be debated in the development of the Improvement Plan.

ends

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