Tikokino & Ongaonga residents to be surveyed around water quantity issues

Tikokino and OngaOnga residents will be receiving survey forms in their letterbox soon as the Hawke’s Bay Regional and Central Hawke’s Bay District Councils seek to better understand the community’s current water supply situation and water quantity issues.

Some in the community have raised concerns about running out of domestic water in the dry summer months.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Mayor, Alex Walker says both the regional and district councils want to get a fuller picture of the concerns to help inform the assistance provided by the two councils.

Residents will have until 30 November to complete the survey.

If they have any questions they should contact Central Hawke’s Bay District Council via email at info@chbdc.govt.nz

Meanwhile, a water quantity public information evening is being organised before Christmas to discuss water management challenges in Central Hawke’s Bay.

The specially-formed Tukituki Taskforce Group continues to meet to develop solutions to manage water quantity in the short, medium and long term in Central Hawke’s Bay.

The Regional Council also has a programme of science underway, which includes reviewing the groundwater monitoring network to re-develop the Ruataniwha Groundwater Model, investigating the possibility of managed aquifer recharge, and plans for an electro-magnetic aerial survey of the aquifer geology, which will give the Regional Council the ability to manage the water takes and their impacts with far greater precision and certainty.

The eight Tranche 2 water permit applications remain on hold waiting for the applicants to have a report prepared on the impact of these takes and on how the effects of taking this water are to be mitigated (particularly through offsetting during low flow periods). Until this information is provided no decision on notification will be made. There is no expectation that these applications will be resolved and consents issued for this irrigation season.

12 November 2018

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