The area at Poads Rd where the new reservoir will be build.
Levin’s water worries may soon be over, though vigilance when it comes to water usage and wastage will remain important for all residents, no matter by how much the water storage capacity will grow. And increase it will. Within the next decade.
After years of either too much or too little water, Horowhenua District Council has revealed it is in the process of realising a huge water reservoir on Poads Rd, near the water treatment plant on Gladstone Rd, that services Levin.
An increase of water ready for drinking, after it has left the water treatment plant, is also being worked on.
Significant work has already been done on the new reservoir, such as an ecological assessment, while others are in progress, such as an archaeological assessment as well as a feasibility study.
Following concept design and a multi-criteria analysis, a single reservoir was selected as the preferred option primarily due to cost considerations and the fact that the intermediate embankment to separate the site into two reservoirs results in a significant loss of stored volume. The storage volume of a single reservoir is in the order of 700,000 m3, however this is reduced to 460,000 m3 with the two reservoir options. That is a huge leap forward from the current 12,000m3.
“It will improve resilience both during heavy rain events and dry weather periods and will increase the reliability of the Levin drinking water supply while at the same time providing enough to cope with projected growth in residents,” said chief executive Monique Davidson.
HDC has been working on a solution to the ongoing water crisis, Levin and Ōhau already live under level 1 water restrictions right now, for a number of years.
Davidson said a feasibility study for the reservoir has already been completed, and an assessment to ensure the chosen option is the right one, is being peer-reviewed right now.
Talks have begun with iwi and a hydrology assessment is in progress. It seems there is sufficient water available in the river to meet the growing demand for water.
Another study has looked at three possible ways of taking water from the Ōhau River and into the water treatment plant. “This work identified the preferred intake as a sub-surface infiltration gallery in the river adjacent to the reservoir site.”
An ecological assessment has already been completed of the reservoir site and this has confirmed there were no wetland habitats, sensitive environments or threatened or endangered species within the reservoir site.
An archaeological assessment is in progress.
Design of the reservoir is already being looked at. As this will be a complex project, council is already talking about consents for it, as a detailed plan will be needed to support costing and consenting.
Having such a huge water reservoir on our doorstep soon should not mean that residents can be careless with water, said Davidson. In fact, she would like us all to be thoughtful when it comes to water use.
“A resilient drinking water solution is a priority for the council, and while significant investigation and investment has been earmarked to provide that solution, ultimately the challenge we face is not just constrained to water supply or storage,” Davidson said.
“There is a shared responsibility to use water sustainably for both council and the infrastructure we maintain, and for everyone in our community. Sustainable water usage and how the council enables this is also a priority for us, so expect to hear more about this and how you can contribute to it in the near future,” she said.
“This is legacy building stuff,” said Davidson about the reservoir proposal.
“We won’t see a digger working on the reservoir for perhaps 10 years. It is a very long process and the consenting pathway is long. It is also very important that our iwi partners, Muaūpoko and Raukawa, are on board with this. Our relationship with them is at the heart of this plan.
“Every river has a water allocation plan, which is decided on by the regional council and while municipal water will always take precedence, we cannot just go ahead and take more than we have been allocated. We can only apply for more water if there is more to take. Right now the river level is low, so residents are urged to save water by way of level one restrictions, as we must take less.
“In order to get more water from the river we must also prove council and residents have enough sustainable practices in place to conserve water. We must do this before we can even apply for more water. More water does not mean everyone can have sprinklers running all day. Climate changes, new fresh water standards, and community growth will put a lot of additional pressure on our water supply.
“The river comes first,” said Davidson. “We do not want to take from the river when there isn’t enough water. A reservoir will mean we can store water when there is a lot of it for future use. It will always remain critical for residents to be careful with their water use.”
The Levin drinking water supply is currently sourced directly from the Ōhau River at an intake site near the existing Water Treatment Plant (WTP) site on Gladstone Rd.
Post-treatment storage of approximately 12,000m3 is provided at the WTP site. This equates to less than 24 hours of supply (less than one day of current peak demand).
The post-treatment storage does not provide sufficient storage to meet extended periods of drought or high turbidity (muddiness) in the river.
Options to increase this are being considered in the short term and will be considered as part of the LTP Amendment.
Councillors are currently looking at key strategic documents for the new reservoir, Three Waters, the Levin landfill and rates affordability.
Soon the community will be informed. You can join the council workshops to be held on these topics and residents are encouraged to participate in the Longterm Plan (LTP) amendment process.
One thing anyone can do to help save water, is to investigate whether there are any leaks on your property or even in your house. Leaking taps cost hundreds of litres of water each month.
Council has some handy hints to help you do that on their website: https://www.horowhenua.govt.nz/Services/Home-Property/Water-Services/Water/Water-Leaks
