Auckland rural tank users already running dry after winter

Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Rural water tank users in Auckland are already feeling the pinch of a water shortage despite summer still being a few months away.

Water cartage companies that service the Rodney and Warkworth areas in the north of the city say they are already getting calls from customers who are running dry.

Waioneke Water owner Ben Jackson said it was a cause for concern after a water shortage last summer.

Rural tank users in Auckland are already running dry of water supply.

Water companies then experienced a high demand for service, with some customers having to wait more than a month to replenish their tanks.

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Auckland faced its worst drought on record this year.

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* Explainer: There is no water shortage so why are some Auckland tanks running dry?

* Two-month wait for Auckland water tank users as dry weather increases demand

Watercare is re-commissioning a bore at Pukekohe to boost drought-hit water supply.

Auckland Council’s news that it was not intending to step in to supply additional water tankers like it did last summer has also concerned rural residents.

“It is a bit of a concern, we haven’t had much rain, so we are worried that it could be a repeat of last summer,” Jackson said.

“Calls right now are mostly from new rural residents but if this summer is going to be like last summer then we're going to be on big alert.”

Jackson said the lower than usual rainfall in winter and the coronavirus lockdown, which forced more people to stay home, increased water use.

Rodney Local Board chairman Phelan Pirrie says rural tank users should act now to avoid running dry this summer.

He said the council’s decision not to add additional funding in case a shortage takes place again was not fair.

He had one water cartage truck based in South Kaipara Head and last year’s demand was so “extraordinary” that he worked into the night, for weeks on end, to meet demand.

“This is a situation we’ve been in numerous times and council has been aware of it for a very long time. Yet here we are, but they just turn a blind eye.

“It’s not fair, why can’t we get the same courtesy as town supply residents?”

Council head of healthy waters strategy and resilience Andrew Chin said intervention last summer, working with commercial operators to speed up distribution of bulk water supplies, was a one-off initiative.

“This was an unbudgeted response to meet an urgent need and was not intended to become a regular programme,” Chin said.

“It has not been discontinued, rather we are not intending to run the initiative again. The impact of the Covid-19 Emergency Budget has severely impacted our ability to provide this kind of service.”

Rodney Local Board chairman Phelan Pirrie said there was no guaranteed provision for rural tank users by Watercare.

To hook up to the urban supply required an infrastructure growth charge fee of thousands of dollars, and ongoing annual fees and water charges, he said.

“These are not paid for by rural tank water users through our general council rates, urban water supply is a user pay-service.”

The council was looking at how it could assist with rural supply by developing additional capacity from suitable private bores, he said.

Emergency 20-litre filling stations will also still be available this summer.

“This is why we are urging people to think about their tank supply now, get in touch with your local tank supplier now, leaving it until the end of the year or mid-summer will be too late.”