GW investigating new water storage options at Kaitoke
Greater Wellington has secured an option to buy land owned by AgResearch at Kaitoke, adjacent to State Highway 2, with the intention of investigating the land to find out if it’s suitable for a water storage lake.
“The size of the proposed lake will be determined during the investigations but it could have a capacity of around 5,000 million litres – making the volume around 50% larger than the two Stuart Macaskill water storage lakes combined,” says Greater Wellington’s Utilities and Services General Manager Murray Kennedy.
Water for the proposed lake would be piped from near the Te Marua Water Treatment Plant, using the existing Kaitoke weir resource consent. The lake would allow Greater Wellington to capture more of the water when there is high rainfall but would not affect river levels at times of low flow.
The investigations are likely to begin in November and could take up to 12 months. They will include investigations into geological/geotechnical and civil works as well as environmental, social and cultural issues.
Murray says that if the site is seen as being suitable for a storage lake, it will be evaluated along with other options that Greater Wellington has previously investigated for future water supply.
“If the proposed lake is built, a dam or another water storage lake probably won’t be needed for about 20 years. If a new storage lake isn’t built soon, it’s likely that a dam would need to be built within 10 years. However, timing will depend to some extent on household and commercial water usage, with Greater Wellington remaining committed to reducing per capita water consumption.”
Murray says that if a decision is made to proceed with the project, the public would have the opportunity to have their say on the project through Greater Wellington’s Long Term Plan process and the Resource Management Act’s resource consent process.
If the project proceeds, construction is likely to take two to three years to complete after the necessary consents and approvals are obtained. The cost of purchasing the land would be determined through Greater Wellington’s negotiations with AgResearch.
Greater Wellington is responsible for supplying bulk water to the Upper Hutt, Hutt, Wellington and Porirua city councils.
Click here and scroll down to "Investigation into a potential water storage lake" for more information including a diagram and Q&As.