About 2000 residents of Weston could be consuming water from Oamaru's water-treatment plant in the future, saving them up to $1.4 million, the cost of upgrading the Weston supply from the Kakanui River.
Yesterday, the Waitaki District Council's assets committee recommended Weston become a zone of the Oamaru water supply by building a new pipe from the Oamaru treatment station and pumping water to the Weston reservoir.
That would cost an estimated $600,000, instead of Weston paying about $2 million to build a separate water-treatment plant at the present Weston intake at Robb's Crossing on the Kakanui River.
The cost of the new pipeline would be met by a loan and depreciation, with Oamaru and Weston consumers paying that back.
In return, Weston ratepayers would share in the repayment of a loan to upgrade the Oamaru treatment plant and the cost of maintaining and operating it.
The water rate paid by Oamaru consumers would fall, from $526 a year to an estimated $473.
Weston's water rate would rise from $354 a year to $473.
But if Weston built its own treatment plant, rates would be much higher, and the supply from the Kakanui River was not sufficient to meet future demand.
A plan to add about 400 consumers at Enfield, which also uses the Robb's Crossing intake, to the new piped supply was dropped by the committee to give the area's water supply committee a chance to consult its consumers and look at other options, such as installing end-use treatment in homes.
Enfield scheme representative Graeme Isbister said most of the water used on the Enfield scheme was for stock, and treatment at houses needed to be considered.
Consumers also needed to be consulted.
Weston scheme committee representative Tim Petrie said the solution was cost-effective for Weston consumers and was an attractive option.
His committee, representing consumers, had approved the plan.
Water and wastewater manager Martin Pacey said a pump and pipeline from Oamaru to Weston was technically quite simple and would supply A-grade water.
It was a cost-effective and long-term solution to upgrade the Weston supply to new drinking water standards and ensure future growth could be supplied, he said.
The committee recommended the council, at its meeting on April 14, approve the project and Weston become a zone of the Oamaru water scheme.
