Tararua district councillors could be the bank of Tararua for farmers who need water tanks to replace historical easements and high-use connections on their properties.
The council is proposing to move from an on-demand to restricted flow for extraordinary water supplies on farms, with the goal to ensure urban water users had a secure supply and that upstream rural users install at least two full days of on-site storage to supplement their peak demands, rather than depleting the feeder mains.
"Are councillors interested in being the bank of Tararua to bulk purchase farm water tanks?" chief executive Blair King asked.
He believed the council should be able to get a significantly better deal than if farmers purchased on their own behalf. The council would be buying suitable 25,000-litre tanks which farmers could then install and pay back the council.
The next step in this project would be to assess and fit restrictors in supply lines later this year and early next year.
