Water strategy top priority

In this week's Wakatipu Echo, Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Debra Lawson looks at one of the biggest issues facing the district - water and what can be done to conserve it.

With an abundance of lakes and rivers, how come water continues to be the single biggest issue of affordability in the Queenstown Lakes district?Less than six months into my tenure as chief executive of the Queenstown Lakes District Council, I was asked to give my top priorities for the district.

Up there with affordability, accountability and service improvement was the strategic management of our water resource.

In October last year the council was presented with a programme that was forecast to reduce projected council debt levels by $125.7 million.

Of that projected debt, the most significant saving was water-demand management ($72.4 million) - it's huge!And it has to be acknowledged savings can only be achieved if the council does its bit.

We are talking about a quantum change in how we think about water use.

That means setting ambitious targets around leakage and achieving reductions in consumption.

Both are a challenge for the council and the community.

We need to constantly remind ourselves that the water that comes from a tap is not free.

The water we use on the garden or pour down the gutter (while washing our car) is water that must meet drinking water standards.

It has gone on a long journey from the water source to our tap, passing through multimillion-dollar infrastructure and consuming energy on its way.

Our water use, per person, per day, in this community is reported to be the highest of any district in New Zealand.

Leakage substantially contributes to this statistic.

For the council's part, it has been working hard to tackle leakage with an active programme in Queenstown and Wanaka.

Last year we identified that leakage was sitting in the area of 30%-50%.

In New Zealand, best practice - and eventually our goal - is 15%.

We are actively identifying how much of the leakage sits with our infrastructure and how much with the consumer.

We are learning from other local authorities, too.

Some have moved to campaigns to require ratepayers to reduce leakage on private property.

And here is the bigger picture - as a district known globally for its stunning environment we have a responsibility, as the guardians of today, for the future generations of tomorrow.

Water conservation is already well known to many in our community and council continues to raise awareness through education around conservation messages to the entire district.

Some communities - like those connected to the Lake Hayes scheme, Arthurs Point or Hawea - already face water irrigation bans during the height of summer.

These issues are real and in the near future will not just be specific to one or two communities but a focus for everyone.

The focus is on getting our own house in order, combined with education and monitoring household consumption.

However, the 2008 Water Supply Bylaw paves the way for council to introduce metering, as other councils have done.

At some point, we may need to talk about it with our community.

Questions, comments? Email your feedback to news@queenstowntimes.co.nz