The Waiāri Water Supply Scheme will serve 35,000 households.
A $197 million Tauranga water treatment plant 18 years in the making and more than $80m more expensive than planned has finally opened — but that does not mean an end to water restrictions in summers to come.
For today’s launch of the Waiāri Water Supply Scheme, Tauranga City and Western Bay councillors, council staff, and others involved in the project gathered at the Te Puke site.
The event prompted concerns, however, from a Te Puke resident who believed the project was not sustainable for the Waiāri stream. The crowd was also told some did not want a Te Puke water source supplying Tauranga homes.
More than 2000 people have been involved with the Waiāri scheme since 2005. The plant will supply drinking water to roughly 35,000 households and the council has said it was designed to meet Tauranga’s demand now and for the next 30 years.
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley told the Bay of Plenty Times people would likely still need to conserve water in summers to come.
Despite a summer of rain, streams in the area were “reducing in their flow”, she said.
“There might not be an end to water restrictions but they might not be as severe, depending on the summer.”
Speaking to the crowd, Tolley said the “complex” project meant people of Tauranga and the Western Bay could access “clean drinking water in a sustainable way”.
The scheme was expected to ease water supply pressure on the city’s existing water resources - the spring-fed Tautau and Waiorohi streams, in the Western Bay district.
But Tolley said it was crucial residents did not take their water supply for granted.
“It’s important we understand the importance of the wai [water] and the need to treat it with respect - ensuring our dependence on these streams does not deplete their mauri [lifeforce] or harm the ecosystems they support. That task is ongoing and it is the commitment.
“Too many of us take it for granted - we don’t think about the fact we are taking it out of streams.”
The $197m water treatment plant is 18 years in the making. Photo / Andrew Warner
Peter Bahrs, city council water services manager, told the Bay of Plenty Times the plant was “designed for future growth” but would also provide the backup the city needed now.
Bahrs said the scheme gave the city “reliance” and “stability”, which had been lacking in previous “very dry” summers.
The city’s average water demand was about 44 million litres per day, which could rise up to 58 million litres in summer.
Up until now, the demand was met by treatment plants in Joyce Rd and Oropi.
The Waiāri scheme was supplying up to 10 million litres of water a day, used by up to 35,000 households in Pāpāmoa East and alleviating the demand on the Joyce Rd plant.
This would be extended to the wider coastal strip, including Mount Maunganui and the Te Tumu growth areas. It could also be used for Te Puke if needed.
The city council’s Water Watchers restriction plan would continue to be used to ensure resources were well managed, he said.
The amount of water drawn from Waiāri was expected to increase over time.
In 2010, the environment court granted consent to take up to 60,000 million litres per day until 2044.
“Ecological monitoring of the stream started in 2010 and will continue for the lifetime of the plant to ensure the protection of aquatic life,” Bahrs said.
The project budget was estimated at $114m in 2016 and was made up of four main components: The intake works, the membrane microfiltration, the treatment balance of the plant and the pipelines to connect to the main supply system.
This grew to $197m due to the scope of works increasing, Covid-19 restrictions and associated costs, unforeseen geotechnical issues and project risk mitigation measures.
Covid also delayed the initial completion date of 2021.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council deputy mayor John Scrimgeour. Photo / Andrew Warner
Western Bay of Plenty District Council deputy mayor John Scrimgeour told the crowd the plant was a “great asset”. The need for it was “terribly important” as the population grew, he said.
Scrimgeour acknowledged there were people who were not in support of the project who believed Te Puke “water should not be taken and supplied to Tauranga”.
“It’s important to reflect and think Te Puke and Tauranga are not very far apart. We are essentially one greater community - and as a rapidly growing population, there is certainly a great need for water,” he said.
The crowd also heard from Stuart Crosby, who was serving as Tauranga mayor when the project began in 2005.
Crosby said both councils had been working collaboratively for many years and were “constantly focussed” on providing their communities with safe drinking water.
He said water meters, introduced in 2000, helped decreased water usage and prolonged the need for the plant.
After the speeches, Rosina Anne Reokore Potiki, of local iwi Tapuika, stood and voiced concerns about water levels dropping in the stream.
“It’s not a neverending supply of water - the water levels are going down. I accept you are investigating it - but you are not looking at it from our point of view,” she said.
In her view, the Waiāri scheme was not sustainable with the number of developments being built in Pāpāmoa and Tauranga.
“How long is it going to last? Is this river still going to be here in 30 years after all those buildings are built? I highly doubt it.”
Responding to those concerns, Tolley said there was a strong focus on sustainability and the health of the waterway.
“We understand the local hapū, to whom those waters are sacred, want us to make sure we are thinking about the health and sustainability of that water.”
Tolley said a significant amount of time had been spent studying various catchments for this reason.
“As well as conversation, we do have to look to the future.”
By the numbers:
$114m - the estimated budget in 2016
$197m - the final cost
5 - 10 million litres -the amount of water drawn each day
60,000 million litres -the maximum the plant can draw per day
