Waikanae Ward Council candidate Harold Thomas is concerned that the council have gone for the river recharge option to replenish water from the borefield below the water supply intake.
Mr Thomas’s concerns are about an extended drought reducing water flow above the intake and secondly he asks if this is an admission that the bore water is not suitable as many people have suggested for use or that it is too expensive to treat to a potable level.
“It does not make sense to have huge pumps supplying water and at the same time pumping water from the borefield at what cost to recharge the river,” says Mr Thomas.
“Surely it would make sense to just use the borefield for supply and leave the river water.
“Any future proposal to use storage dams and recharge the Waikanae river need to be considered carefully as to the amount of water that may be lost to ground water as the river water flows to the water intake.”
Mr Thomas says the cost of maintaining a recharge system could be very expensive on top of the capital cost of implementing the project.
www.haroldthomas.org
