It’s so important that we get water policy right in the Wellington region. You will have heard about the $1.8 billion infrastructure deficit afflicting Porirua, and you’re probably wondering how on earth we can find such money. It certainly seems daunting. The number is alarming on its face, and other councils in the region have equally alarming figures.
But councils have no choice but to act decisively now within our existing capabilities. We each need to do our part. Beyond that, the scale of the infrastructure deficit is such that we need central government to play a role. Otherwise, long term, we simply won’t be able to stay on top of the challenge.
We need to transform our thinking towards conservation. This is both to conserve our precious resource and ease pressure on existing, and future pipes. One proven way to do this is to introduce household meters. This is always a controversial idea, but frankly I don’t think we have the option of continuing business-as-usual. Where meters are used, water consumption reliably declines. For the majority of households, it doesn’t lead to an increase in water costs. Those who have pools or use an inordinate amount of water will pay a higher price. I believe this is fair.
We also need to empower Wellington Water to deliver a genuine regional solution without parochial considerations getting in the way. We all share the same water source and catchment so should act accordingly.
As simple as it seems, plugging leaks is an important part of the strategy. Porirua is proposing to fund a roving maintenance crew to find and remediate cross connections into the network, and detect leaks. This will improve our harbour and coastal environment. We’ve set aside $250,000 in our Annual Plan for this. The regional council is calling on other councils to follow suit. Before we even begin to tackle the broader infrastructure challenge, it’s crucial that they do.
19 Mar 2020
