Watercare consented to take an additional 100 million liters a day from the Waikato River

Auckland’s water management company Watercare obtained consent to take an additional 100 million liters of water per day from the Waikato River.

It comes amid fears of severe water shortages following Auckland’s worst drought and the prospect of looming water restrictions this summer.

In a statement tonight, the Waikato Regional Council said it had granted two consents allowing Watercare to maximize the amount of water it can treat for Auckland residents now and in the future.

With the river currently above average flow, Watercare already has the consent to take 175 million liters per day (MLD) from the river, which is the maximum that its Waikato Water Treatment Plant in Tūākau can currently treat and deliver.

The Waikato Regional Council has granted a Watercare application submitted in May for an additional 100 MLD. It allows Watercare to take in the additional water between May and September (inclusive) and at other times of the year when the river is above average flow.

The Waikato Regional Council has also given its consent for Watercare to use the 25 MLDs shared by the Hamilton City Council.

“This is a real example of local solutions created by local people,” said Waikato Regional Council Executive Director Vaughan Payne.

“My staff have been working closely with Watercare on a workable resolution since the end of last year. It is good to see that Watercare ties in well with tangata whenua, which has enabled this significant progress to be made in line with two actions identified in the relationship agreement “. Payne said.

Last week, the Waikato Regional Council, Watercare, Auckland Council and Waikato-Tainui signed a relationship agreement with the Waikato River Authority for consideration over the next several days, committing all parties to work together to protect the river. and the people it provides. for the Waikato and Auckland regions.

Watercare CEO Raveen Jaduram said that although the application for 100 MLD was submitted in May this year, work to prepare the application began in November 2019.

“We applied for a 100 MLD seasonal intake to give us confidence to invest in infrastructure that will allow us to treat more water from the Waikato River.

“With this consent in place, we can go full steam ahead with the construction of an additional treatment plant at our existing site in Tūākau.”

The consent covering the 25 MLD that Hamilton City Council shares with Watercare on a temporary basis means that Watercare can continue to treat up to 175 MLD at the current plant throughout the year regardless of river flow.

Payne said a robust process has been followed to prepare this consent.

“We needed to agree on a process that would give the public and other water users confidence that Watercare’s agreement with the Hamilton City Council did not result in the use of more water than was actually available.”

Jaduram said the agreement with Hamilton City Council was particularly valuable to Auckland residents in the short term, as the city recovers from this year’s drought.

“Our total storage level at the dam is currently 67%, where it would normally approach 90% at this time of year. We are working hard to bring new water sources to Auckland by Christmas. In order to utilize the City Council’s 25 MLD Hamilton, regardless of river flow, puts us in a strong position during the summer, when water usage traditionally increases. “

Jaduram resigned last month after coming under pressure from the Auckland water crisis. Ends October 31.