Summer water restrictions in Kaitaia should become less frequent in future, as the Far North District Council works to make the town's supply more resilient.
The council's general manager – infrastructure and asset management Andy Finch, said yesterday the sprinkler ban imposed last week had once again highlighted the supply's vulnerability to drought.
Mr Finch gave an assurance that "considerable" work was being done to achieve that. The plan to take water from the Aupouri aquifer had been deferred until a robust business case had been developed and all other options had been explored, and good progress had been made.
The council had recently received a hydrogeological study from Lincoln Agritech comparing different extraction options from the Aupouri aquifer, using a mathematical model to estimate the yield and quality of potential bores within 10km of Kaitaia, and with road access and electricity.
A number of potential bore sites, including the Sweetwater bore, for which the council had a consent, had been identified.