Aquifer supply may be used for other purposes

The future of water stored in the aquifer under Mosgiel is the next decision to be made after the Dunedin City Council announced it was moving from using bore water for the suburb to a city supply.

Supply from the bores will be turned off on Monday when Mosgiel switches to water from Mt Grand.

• Dunedin water for Mosgiel

Council three waters group manager Tom Dyer said it would cost the council ''money and time'' to keep its resource consent to take drinkable water from the seven bores in Mosgiel.

However, there were people who would be able to use the water for different purposes.

''It is a resource,'' he said.

Mr Dyer said there was no particular cost for the changeover, but there would be ''redistribution of operational costs. The net impact will be negligible.''

The changeover from bore water would not require a lot of work.

''We have installed one automated valve, a couple of other valves will be opened, and that will be it.''

There was a pipe already in place that fed water from Mt Grand.

Wingatui and the eastern area of Mosgiel already used that water.

Mr Dyer said there were seven bores between 30m and 40m deep, all within the Mosgiel township.

The water had been pumped to the reservoir on the hill by Joe Brown Reserve.

The underground aquifer was fed from the Silverstream at the top of North Taieri, and other creeks that came from the hills.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz