Ever wondered how to repair that leaking tap or want to check if your cistern is leaking?
As part of Waipā District Council’s community outreach programme, residents can learn how – plus find out how to harvest rainwater and replace your showerhead.
In his report to the council’s service delivery committee on Tuesday, Water Services manager Martin Mould said planning was underway for the programme which would also include a swimming pool campaign.
In the meantime, council staff have developed a rainwater harvesting programme for schools. Eleven schools across the district registered to participate.
Each will get a 300-litre rainwater harvesting tank and have a demonstration and workshop for their school community.
“The aim of this programme is to educate tamariki and their whānau on rainwater collection and water conservation and provide opportunities for schools to enhance their own sustainability and conservation efforts,” said Mould.
Neighbouring Hamilton City Council has a similar project, funded as part of the Water Reform stimulus package, to assess the benefits, costs, opportunities and risks of establishing principles and rules for use of rainwater tanks.
Hamilton will share the results with Waipā.
Rainwater harvesting can assist in lowering water bills, as the natural precipitation can be used for different purposes. The upfront costs of a rainwater catchment system vary, depending on the amount of water users want to store and its intended uses.
The council has sent letters to 919 properties in Ōhaupō, Pirongia, Cambridge and Te Awamutu, notifying them that their houses are potentially at risk of flooding in a 100-year event.
The council will conduct a survey of the properties’ finished floor levels from the road to confirm. Fewer than 100 are expected to remain at risk of flooding, said Mould.
Work has begun on an alternative water supply for Kihikihi to reduce reliance on ground water.
Because the Kihikihi reservoir is on an archaeological site and connection of the new pipeline to the reservoir means working on the site the council had to get approval for the work from Heritage New Zealand.
Iwi consultation forms part of all archaeological assessments and that took place last week on what was once a military stockade.
