Queenstown Lakes District Council will consult the residents of five communities about its intention to introduce permanent chlorination of their water supplies.

The proposal is included in this year’s draft Annual Plan, which will be adopted by the Council tomorrow ahead of a month-long consultation period.

Chief Executive Mike Theelen said that $500,000 had been allocated in the 2017-18 budget to chlorinate the water supplies for Arrowtown, Arthur’s Point, Glenorchy, Hawea and Luggate on a permanent basis.

The proposal would provide a uniform standard of water treatment for all the Council’s supplies across the district. Wanaka and Queenstown’s water supplies are already chlorinated. Providing budget for chlorination does not pre-determine the outcome of the consultation; it simply ensures that the funds are available to chlorinate if that is what the Council decides following consultation.

Adding chlorine is one of the most common and effective water treatments because it disinfects the water all the way from the source to the consumers’ taps. It kills bacteria that can get through filtration systems and viruses that cannot be physically removed from water.

The Arrowtown and Hawea supplies were chlorinated on a temporary basis over the summer, following advice from Public Health South and in the light of Havelock North’s water contamination. That temporary chlorination will come to an end on 31 March in line with the commitment the Council gave last year.

Mr Theelen said that while Arrowtown and Hawea both had effective UV treatment, that did not guard against contamination entering the network once the water left the reservoir. Any time there is a new connection to the network from a new property, for example, there is a risk that contaminants will enter the supply. Chlorination guards against this, by disinfecting the water right through to the tap.

The Council will hold consultation meetings in each of the five communities during April to provide additional opportunities for residents to express their views. Glendhu Bay’s supply is also included in the extension of chlorination but the Council’s campground is the only property that it services.

A summary of the draft Annual Plan will be delivered to all ratepayers, available on the Council’s website and in all Council offices, libraries and facilities from next week. Consultation ends on 28 April.

ENDS

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