The Waiatua Dam (on Opanake Road) may be the solution to end the Dargaville and Baylys Beach water shortages, according to a preliminary investigation, commissioned by Kaipara District Council.

Elected Members considered two options at their February meeting, ruling out joining the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust (TTWT) scheme in favour of further investigating the Waiatua Dam option.

The Council consulted on joining the TTWT scheme last year as part of their Long Term Plan, but reconsidered after finding its existing Waiatua reservoir may provide an alternative solution. Instead, the Council allocated $100,000 for further investigation into possible water storage options. At the February Council meeting, Elected Members considered which of two options they should investigate further.

Mayor Dr Jason Smith says the decision to focus on the Waiatua Dam was a ‘no brainer’.

“Waiatua is an existing storage facility that we have already spent capital to build,” says Mayor Smith. “This option will cost less than a quarter of the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust scheme.”

The dam would be heightened by 1.3 metres to increase available storage to 337,000 m3 and water would supplement, not replace, the existing supply, drawn from the Kaihu River and Waiparataniwha Stream.

Water would flow naturally into the dam during the winter and it would hold enough water to meet all Baylys Beach and Dargaville’s current needs for a period of three months, if no other water was available. There would also be an option to add a pump station later, to top up water supplies if necessary.

“This would increase our water storage capacity for Dargaville, and we could support development. Silver Fern Farms, one of the Kaipara’s largest employers, would be able to keep working through summer and we could support new industry, and it will make us more resilient to climate change. Council really is getting on with the job of ‘growing a better Kaipara’.”

The Council will further investigate the Waiatua Dam option over the coming year.

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