Letters: Council clarifies water meter submission

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We would like to clarify for your readers and followers that Rotorua Lakes Council is not proposing to meter water in the urban water supply area.

Your article of Tuesday 16 May "Plan to charge drop by drop" appears to have led some people to believe that the council is proposing water metering across the district.

This is incorrect. In fact, the one amendment to the bylaw which is proposed is the removal of a rule requiring metering of all new residential subdivisions in the urban supply area. It is proposed this be removed because a) it has never been enforced and b) it goes against current council policy to not meter the urban water supply area.

This was not explained in your article which focussed on a submission in which the submitter stated he would like to see water metering introduced across the district as a way to reduce water use.

A headline on your website "Metered water proposal to be discussed by council - Residents could begin paying for water if the council considers a metered water proposal" has, in our view, reinforced the confusion.

The submission on which your article was based will be considered by the Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee as part of deliberations on the proposed amended bylaw in June.

The committee will then make a recommendation to the full council for a final decision.

Further information about what is proposed is on council's website www.rotorualakescouncil.nz via the "Current Consultations" link on the home page.

JEAN-PAUL GASTON
Group Manager, Strategy and Partnerships
Rotorua Lakes Council

To the question 'Should Rotorua have metered water?' I would like to add my view.

To pay for the water one uses may seem a reasonable request, but what about the leakage from the old and perished tubing from the street connection to the house? This pipework, once maintained by the council and paid for in our rates, is now the responsibility of each householder.

On my own property I have had several leaks in the past few years. Some of the leaks on homeowners' properties, being underground, may not become obvious until very much later. This means we could be paying for a great deal more water than we are actually using.

In my opinion we should not be paying for metered water until all this tubing has been renewed by the council.

[ABRIDGED]
PHIL NEWMAN
Rotorua