Water meters in the pipeline for Renwick

Water meters may be installed in Renwick following a community meeting last night.

More than 80 residents attended the meeting at the Renwick Community Hall, which was jointly organised by Marlborough District Council and Renwick Smart and Connected. An earlier information meeting had also been held in February.

Council Operations and Maintenance Engineer Stephen Rooney said the meeting was constructive and enabled the community to better understand existing water charges and options for charging under a metered system.

“We then asked the community whether it preferred the current method of charging or meters, and how they’d prefer to be charged for water use under a metered system,” Mr Rooney said.

A significant majority voted for meters, and for charges to be calculated on a base fee set at the minimum consumption level per household, with a cubic metre rate to be charged for additional usage.

The community’s feedback and preferences will be presented to council’s Assets and Services Committee in late April, along with a recommendation to install water meters in Renwick. If the committee approves metering, they would take at least 12 months to be installed.

An upgrade to Renwick’s water supply is already underway, with new wells, reservoir and treatment plant expected to be providing a more reliable and quality water source for the community within the next three years.

Mr Rooney said the option of water meters had been proposed by the council to help the community better manage its water use, particularly over dry summer periods. He said this would hopefully reduce water-related costs such as the volume of water that needed to be treated and the size of the new treatment plant.

Mr Rooney said water use in Renwick was almost twice the national average, with the equivalent of nearly 12 bathtubs of water being used in the community every day. “One sprinkler alone can use 900 litres of water in an hour. Meters will help residents to better understand and manage their own water use,” he said.

Other areas in New Zealand have achieved 25 to 30% reductions in water usage after introducing water meters, which has reduced capital and operational costs related to water supply.

“The current universal rates charge for water use doesn’t differentiate between heavy and light water users. Water meters will enable residents and business owners to keep an eye on their water use, identify leaks in their water mains, and work towards conserving water,” Mr Rooney said.

ends

© Scoop Media