TOTAL WATER BAN – What does this mean and what is the council doing?

Our main water source is the Kaipatangata Stream which is reliant on rainfall. No rain = no water. We are now running off a bore which has limited capacity. Part of our long term plan is increasing the storage capacity at the existing Kaipatangata treatment plant and at the supplementary plant to provide four days of treated water reserves, and by duplicating critical, riskier sections of the sole mains pipe that goes from the Kaipaitangata treatment plant to the township. South Wairarapa and Masterton also have restrictions, although each council’s restrictions vary due to the amount of rainfall in each area and differing water sources.

The council waters its gardens with non-potable water from a bore – this is not town supply.

If you are an avid gardner, the council sells small water tanks which you can set up yourself at home, which means next summer you’ll have your own supply to water your garden when restrictions are in place.

Part of the district plan review will be investigating whether to impose water tanks on new builds. The flushing of the Frederick Street bore is a water safety requirement to ensure the water is clean before it reaches your tap. Our responsibility to keep you safe under these requirements means we need to flush the bore for 7 minutes.

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