Building water security for our region’s future
Alternatives
Find all of the historic documents about how options were selected throughout the two decades of this project on this page. Those documents provided the basis for a review conducted in July 2017 when Tasman District Council revisited the alternatives that could increase water supplied to the region. For the first time, TDC combined the findings into a single review.
July 2017 review of options
The assessment examined all the water augmentation options identified including small dams, deep bores, a pipeline from Rotoiti/Buller River to Wakefield and pumping from the Motueka Aquifer. Household rainwater harvesting was also considered.
There are four options that would provide enough water to meet current and future urban demand:
- the Waimea Community Dam
- a high dam on the Roding River
- transfer of water from the Motueka aquifer
- storage ponds beside the Waimea River
The option of a dam at Teapot Valley was also included in a cost and capacity review for comparison of the costs of a smaller dam.
Comparison of options
The assessment showed that the Waimea Community Dam is by far the cheapest and most effective option for meeting the urban water supply needs today and in the future.
It is also the only option that:
- increases flows in the Waimea River to improve ecosystem health and meets new national freshwater standards
- holds enough capacity for current and future primary production needs
- secures the regional economy, and
- leverages funding from partners – Waimea Plains water users, central Government (via the Freshwater Improvement Fund), and Nelson City Council.
The full report
Read the entire report here:
Water Augmentation Project – Options Assessment – 27 July 2017
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