Horowhenua Council reports significant drop in water consumption in Shannon

One of the new smart water meters being installed.

It’s a case of less is more in Shannon currently, with the Shannon community leading the way with its water conservation efforts.

Horowhenua District Council commercial infrastructure general manager Daniel Haigh said the town’s reticulated water network has met performance measures under the Infrastructure Leakage Index – a worldwide benchmark for water supply networks - for the first time since records began.

He said the index measures how much water in the network is lost via leaks, by comparing the ratio between current real water losses over unavoidable real losses.

The council rolled out the start of water meter installation in Shannon in March this year, as at the time it was the water supply with the highest leakage.

Water quality conservation and supply lead Albert Hoffmann, or The Leak Geek as he has become known, is leading the rollout of water meters across the district. Approximately 27% of the district has had the new smart water meters installed since the project started.

It’s good news for the community, said Haigh as Shannon’s water demand is now less than half the amount the council is allowed to take from the Mangaore Stream as part of its resource consent conditions.

In February this year, the council was close to its consent limit of 1.2 million litres per day, he said. While there is some seasonal variation in that – with winter consumption generally lower than summer when it hits peak demand - the change is still significant, he said.

It’s not just good news for the whenua either, as the reduction also means there’s not so much pressure to invest straight away in expensive infrastructure to keep up with the demands of growth, he said.

Miranui Ward councillor Paul Olsen said councillors and staff are pleased with the reduction in water consumption.

“We are grateful to the community for doing their part to reduce their water consumption and fix leaks that have been identified. The water meter project has also enabled Council to identify leaks in the network and at the toby and fix them straight away, which has led to much greater efficiency of the network.”

Eighty per cent of water connections in Shannon now have a smart meter installed, while the remaining 20% require maintenance which will be undertaken by council contractors, after which meters can be installed, said Haigh.

Council began water meter installation in Foxton (the water supply with the second highest leakage) in May this year, with 1076 meters installed to date. 76% of water connections in Foxton now have a smart meter installed with the remaining 24% still requiring maintenance.

In July, the focus shifted to Levin, with around 1930 of water connections now smart-metered and installation still in progress.

The water meter project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and comes at a cost of approximately $6m, which was approved as part of Council Long Term Plan Amendment 2021-2041, he said.