Upgrading the Moutere Hills Water Supply

Read here about the outcome of the Public Meeting on water supply on 16 April 2014 organised by the Moutere Hills Residents Association.

The purpose of the public meeting was to explore ways to provide a suitable potable water supply for residents of the inner Moutere Hills and valley. The well-attended meeting heard Tasman District Councillor Brian Ensor and TDC Engineer Joseph Thomas describe the history and shortcomings of the present Dovedale scheme, and the limitations of the Moutere Valley Aquifers.

Mike Eggers of the Braeburn Water Scheme covered the possibilities of basing a community scheme on either the Moutere Valley bores or the Motueka gravels at Pangatotora, using an existing bore.

Click below to read the full coverage.

The main points to emerge at the meeting were:

1. The present Dovedale scheme is not suitable for household use. It uses surface collected water, carries a varyingly large sediment load, and is insufficiently treated (chlorine only). The scheme is running at capacity and often runs short over summer. It cannot cater for increased population growth and already is unable to service demand. The distribution pipelines are in poor condition and regularly break down making the scheme unreliable and expensive to operate.

2. The Tasman District Council concluded some time ago that the scheme should be upgraded by creating a new, cleaner source in the Motueka River gravels with treatment to meet current health standards; $1,654,200 was budgeted for this upgrade to be carried out by 2018/19. This project was deferred, when the possibility of a $40,000,000 coastal pipeline from the Motueka gravels to Mapua was mooted. The Dovedale scheme was put on hold and does not appear in the present 10 year plan. The future of the Coastal pipeline (which could supply the Moutere residents) is uncertain, in part because of existing council debt load and the need to construct the $45,000,000 lee valley dam to supply the Waimeas and Richmond, and probably Mapua. Should the dam go ahead and supply Mapua, there would be little possibility of the Coastal pipeline going ahead. We do not know the possibility or cost involved of increasing the lee supply to Mapua to in turn service the Moutere Valley.

3. The Council is obligated under the Health Act 1956 (as amended 2007) to take all practicable steps to comply with the drinking water standards for water being supplied to the Moutere Residents by July 2015. A Water Safety Plan to achieve this outcome (PHRMP) was to have been approved by July 2012 - now moved forward to July 2014. Compliance with any effective Water Safety Plan by July 2015 does not seem likely.

4. Use of the Moutere Valley Aquifers was discussed at some length but was not seen by TDC or other commentators to be a suitable source for a community scheme.

5. Mike Eggers presented the possibility of using the existing bore in the Motueka River Gravels at Pangatotora. Volume and quality have been shown to be suitable, and Mr Eggers presented rough figures to show that a system with high volumes of potable water could be constructed to run through to the eastern end of the Dovedale Scheme, servicing all the Moutere Valley and Upper Moutere residents at a reasonable cost. Viability would depend on the majority of Upper Moutere area Dovedale users switching over to the new scheme.

6. The Meeting concluded with a resolution: "That a new committee be formed to discuss with Tasman District Council the need to move, without delay, towards the provision of a potable water supply for residents of the inner Moutere hills and valleys, taking regard of the suitability and financial viability of all options; and to formulate and drive a plan to achieve this outcome without delay."

The motion was carried unanimously.