Local residents beating the water restrictions their own way

AnnaMarie Kraitzick had her water bore system installed at her Papamoa property last month. Photo / Andrew Warner

Water bore drilling companies' phones are ringing off the hook as some residents get around water restrictions by sourcing their own.

Since the start of September last year, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council has recorded 20 water bores domestically drilled in the Tauranga area, all bar five of which were in Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa.

Since 2017, 52 bores were drilled under this consent - meaning close to 30 per cent of these were in 2019 alone.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council consents manager Reuben Fraser said there had been a substantial increase in domestic water bore drilling as a result of the dry conditions.

There is a global consent in the Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui area that allows for more than one bore to be drilled.

Domestic takes do not require authorisation by the regional council.

Kerry Howard from Water Solutions said the company had seen a massive spike in demand for domestic water bores this year.

The team was putting down at least a couple a week - which was a lot more than normal, she said.

Howard said the most common suburb for residents requesting the domestic bores was Pāpāmoa, as accessing the water tables was a lot easier.

However, it was still a "potluck" whether residents would hit the right water table on their property, she said.

The average cost was around $1250 for a pump and install, she said.

Think Water business development manager Angus Clarke said there had been a spike in Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui residents' requests as they were able to get "beach bores" installed for domestic properties.

However, he said the water produced was only able to be used for gardening purposes as it could have a high iron content, making it unsuitable for drinking.

Pāpāmoa resident AnnaMarie Kraitzick, who had a water bore installed on her property last month, said her grass was green and beautiful as a result.

She said she and her husband were active in the garden and wanted to be able to maintain it within the water restriction period.

Kraitzick described the bore as "an investment" and said if you could draw from a natural resource, "why wouldn't you?".

The pair put up a sign on their fence letting neighbours know they were watering their garden with bore water to "stop any animosity".

She said as the neighbourhood "shares the same apple" when it comes to water supply, people could potentially get aggressive if it appeared others were taking a bigger share.

She also wanted to make it clear they were not breaking the law.

Water restrictions in Tauranga have been in place since January 30.