Waikato council boss says no more water for Auckland

Tuesday, 19 January 2021

Waikato River with Mount Taupiri to the left. Auckland may be taking 300 million litres of water a day in the next few years.

Auckland could take about 300 million litres of water a day from the Waikato River, if a Board of Inquiry accepts its application in 2021.

But a Waikato council boss has drawn a line under that number, saying he's adamant the city should never get any more river water.

Auckland council’s Watercare is currently processing 175 million litres of water a day (MLD) from the Waikato River, and an application for another 150 MLD is sitting with a Board of Inquiry.

Further water restrictions were imposed as Auckland dams fell to critical levels in May 2020.

A stoush over Waikato River water broke out in 2020, when the super-city was facing its worst drought in 25 years, water storage lakes were parched and sitting at record lows.

* Waikato River water charge off the table after summit

* Agreement for Auckland to take more water from Waikato River reached

Waikato Regional Council chairman Russ Rimmington and Environment Minister David Parker talk during the Waikato Water Summit in 2020 (file photo).

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff called on Waikato Regional Council to process a consent lodged in 2013 – for an extra 200MLD from the river – which was lagging in the queue.

That led to a war of words between regional leaders: accusations Auckland was “queue-jumping”, retorts the consent process was inefficient, and calls for Auckland to pay for the litres it took.

Hamilton City Council agreed to share a portion of its water (25 MLD) with Auckland.

Environment Minister David Parker had to step in and the application for an extra 200 MLD, since decreased to 150 MLD, will be considered by a Board of Inquiry in 2021.

But Waikato Regional Council chair Russ Rimmington told Stuff Auckland’s current and future consents were “extensive”.

In 2020, freshwater mussels were dying as water levels at the Lower Nihotupu Dam in Auckland fall to 34 per cent due to drought – photo taken August 2020.

“They’ve got enough allocation [from the river] for forever in my opinion, or for the next 30, 40, or 50 years.

“Watercare and Auckland Council told me that themselves.”

He accepted Auckland could take an extra 150 MLD through their Board of Inquiry application, but said the Waikato region couldn't give from the river endlessly after that.

“The future needs of burgeoning Waikato industry including our agricultural and horticultural sectors should come before the needs of Auckland.”

Waipā and Hamilton residents are already experiencing water restrictions this summer as the region faces a hot summer.

“You have got climate change whether one likes it or lumps it … when that's happening that means there's really larger periods of dry weather.”

And the pressure on Auckland's water supply would continue, Rimmington said.

“They’ve got a burgeoning population, leaking pipes and not enough capacity in reserve.”

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff speaks to media on the release of a report into the effectiveness of Auckland Council's Council-Controlled Agency structure.

Watercare head of consents Mark Bourne said the organisation was processing as much water from the Waikato River as the infrastructure could handle.

Currently, 175 MLD can be processed in the Tūākau plant, with upgrades allowing 50 MLD more in mid-2021. The organisation is planning on building a new plant, too.

Leaning on the Waikato River during drought relieved pressure on Auckland’s storage lakes.

Despite the controversy, Aucklanders were actually efficient at storing water, Bourne said.

'Aucklanders individually use a lot less water than most people around New Zealand.

“So the question is, why do you need more water Auckland?”

Increasing populations had exceeded the amount of water that residents and Watercare were able to save.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said an extra $224 million was spent on increasing the super-city’s water supply in 2020.

“As well as additional sources of supply such as new bores, and expansion of water treatment plants in Tūākau, Papakura and Pukekohe, Auckland is encouraging people to harvest more rain water from their roofs and is lifting the level of renewal of ageing pipelines to reduce loss of water from leakage.”

Residents could face more severe water restrictions or bans on outdoor hoses if drought conditions worsened this summer, Goff said.

Despite that, there was 'still always more work to be done” on water conservation and supply.

“Auckland has experienced rapid population growth over the last ten years, adding a city the size of Gisborne or Whakatāne to our population every year.”