31 January 2019
Media: Daily Post
Topic: Summer water consumption
Enquiry
Just following up on the water consumption information released yesterday.
With less than half the usual rainfall for January, what is the likelihood of a water restriction? If going at the same rate of consumption (and only the potential of light rain on Saturday morning) how many days, weeks would we have before a water restriction?
What makes up the majority of consumption eg businesses, residents?
- Are there any particular business types using more water than some?
I saw in yesterday's release that it could be largely attributed to widespread use of garden/lawn sprinklers and irrigation.
Is this irresponsible of people? Would it not be better for a water restriction to be enforced now while we see the huge consumption of water already?
What are the limits of what can be taken, pumped and stored on a daily basis from our water resources such as springs and bores?
What would a water restriction look like for residents and businesses?
The release mentioned the Eastern Supply which served residential areas from Ngapuna to the airport has a 72% increase in consumption. What is the physical number to this? Is it only residential or are businesses in the area/what was this an increase from?
Central and Eastern supplies exceeded water capacity on Monday and Tuesday. What was their consumption for this week?
Just to clarify 'Ngapuna to the airport' - did that include Ngapuna, Lynmore, Owhata, Holdens Bay and Hannahs Bay?
I saw in yesterday's release that it could be largely attributed to widespread use of garden/lawn sprinklers and irrigation.
Is it irresponsible of people to water/irrigate their gardens? Would it not be better for a water restriction to be enforced now while we see the huge consumption of water already?
What would a water restriction look like for residents and businesses in Rotorua?
I spoke to Federation Farmers and other local growers and they said they didn't seem to be affected due to separate water meters. How much water does the council put aside for agriculture?
What is the council doing in terms of conserving water? A few people had been in contact with us regarding seeing the council gardens being sprinklered so just following up their query.
Tomorrow morning I am going to ask for the most up-to-date data on water consumption for the past week. With comment on how much the town has been exceeding capacity. How quickly would it be possible to get the most up-to-date information tomorrow on that?
Response
Regarding previous water restrictions, we can only recall one a number of years ago. This was a sprinkler ban and it was due to hot weather conditions and a fault in the water supply system.
Give us a call tomorrow about getting up to date info and we can see what we are able to supply in the morning.
From Rotorua Lakes Council, Water Operations Manager, Eric Cawte:
"Rotorua is lucky in that we have a number of reliable and plentiful water sources. Most of our water comes from springs which continue to produce water at a constant rate regardless of wet or dry weather. The exceptions are Rotoma which is supplied from the lake and Mamaku which is supplied from bores. Many other towns or cities run into issues because they are relying on rainfall and water from dams, rivers or streams.
"In the current hot and dry weather conditions, our water sources are not drying up or running out of water. What is happening is that due to the hot weather, people's water use has increased dramatically - they are noticing their gardens and lawns are looking dry and so they have started to water these, whereas two or three weeks ago they weren't necessarily doing so.
"While our water supply is ample, we are limited by our infrastructure and how much water we can pump from the springs into our reservoirs each day. Our pumps are controlled by sensors that monitor reservoir levels. When these get below set levels our pumps start working to refill the reservoirs.
"Generally our pumps will operate for only some of the day, possibly in several periods of time. Currently the city and Eastern supply pumps are working 24 hours a day to try and keep our reservoirs at appropriate levels, but due to the increase in water consumption over recent days they have been unable to keep up and each day our reservoir levels have reduced slightly further. If this continues over an extended period of time, the reservoirs will run out and water will not be available to consumers. Restoring full supply could take up to a day, depending on how much of the network was without water.
"Our urban and Eastern supplies are most affected because they are providing water to larger populations. Water supply in Ngongotaha and our rural areas so far remains less affected.
"The likelihood of a water restriction is completely dependent on how much water continues to be consumed. We're hoping that with a bit of awareness and caution our reservoirs can be restored to their usual levels within a couple of days, and can remain there. If a water restriction were to be put in place, this would likely begin with a ban on sprinklers and fixed irrigation systems. Hand held hoses would probably still be acceptable. The next step, if required, could be to place a ban on hand held hoses and all outdoor watering. However, the final decision on this would be made taking into account the severity of the situation and other factors including the weather forecast.
"Currently we are not at this stage. We are not saying people cannot use sprinklers or water their gardens. However, we do ask that they keep this to a bare minimum, and consider letting lawns go brown, as they will recover after the next significant rain. Council is also expected to be aware of water usage and we are trying to keep our watering to a minimum.
"The average breakdown of consumption between residential and commercial properties is 70% residential and 30% commercial. Businesses such as large hotels, laundries, paint manufacturers, and meat processing plants all tend to use higher amounts of water, as can be expected. However businesses' water usage doesn't tend to fluctuate as much as residential usage based on weather conditions as they tend to stick to business as usual activities. The two metered farming supplies are designed to supply a fixed allocation of the water to each property. They have a flow controller in place to ensure that these allocations are adhered too.
"The Eastern supply which serves residential areas from Ngapuna to the airport (this includes Ngapuna, Lynmore, Owhata, Holdens Bay, Hannahs Bay, and out past the airport to Rotokawa), recorded a 72% increase in consumption compared to an average day in winter. Consumption from the Eastern supply on Tuesday this week was around 7,413,000 litres, from both residential and businesses. This rate of consumption has been similar all week. Exceeding capacity means we are using water faster than we are able to pump it back into reservoirs.
"Again we ask that people are aware of the increased demand on our water supplies, and to avoid any unnecessary use or wastage of water. We reinforce that our water sources are not drying up but that our infrastructure is struggling to keep up with irregularly high demand right now."
Some simple ways to conserve water:
- -Do not over water lawns or gardens - a good watering once or twice a week should be enough and it's preferable to use a hand-held hose.
- -Keep lawns longer to retain more water and create deeper roots for healthier grass.
- -Running your hose can waste a lot of water in a short amount of time. Use a watering can to hydrate your garden.
- -Do not leave sprinklers on overnight.
- -Only water areas that need it.
- -Avoid excessive use of hoses for washing cars, houses or driveways. Try using a bucket and sponge instead.
- -Don't waste water by unnecessarily running taps.
- -Fix any leaks on your property promptly.
- -Keep an eye out for water leaks in unusual places and call Council on 07 348 4199 if you see leaks in the street.
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Media: Daily Post
Topic: Smallbone Park sports hub feasibility study
Enquiry
Following information released by Sport BOP regarding feasibility study into Smallbone Park multisport facility, reporter asked the following:
Did the council play a part in the Smallbone Park Feasibility study?
I thought it would be good to get council comment if you did and wanted to add anything.
I saw this sentence in a 2016 story:
Rotorua Lakes Council owns the grounds at Smallbone Park and have allocated $300,000 to $350,000 towards building public toilets in the area, in its long-term plan.
Given there is a new LTP, is this still the case? [And] is it still true to write RLC owns the grounds?
SPORT BOP MEDIA RELEASE
Feasibility study completed for proposed Smallbone Park Multisport Facility
A detailed feasibility study into a proposed multisport facility at Rotorua's Smallbone Park has been completed and indicates further investigations, including a draft business plan, should be progressed.
Over the past 12 months a working group comprising Sport Bay of Plenty and key sport stakeholders Rotorua Hockey, Springfield Golf Club, Rotorua Cricket and Squash Bay of Plenty worked alongside a consultancy company to undertake a detailed feasibility study to provide direction and guide decision-making around the proposal.
The study, the first of many steps in determining how far the project progresses, analysed the site and its context, site and facility development options, potential governance and operation models and a preliminary operational plan. The process clearly laid out stakeholders' current positions, and their facility needs in the future were taken into account throughout the study.
The detailed feasibility study concluded the proposed Smallbone Park project has the potential to provide a true multisport facility approach that would meet many of the needs of the potential partner organisations, and establish a community hub for the entire Rotorua region. An initial business model also indicated the proposed facility is likely to be viable. Potential partners will now enter the next level of discussions and a detailed business plan will be drafted.
The working group stresses, however, that the feasibility study is just one of numerous steps in determining if the project will go ahead. Investigations and decision-making regarding the proposed Smallbone Park Multisport Facility follow the detailed processes outlined in the Bay of Plenty Regional Facilities Strategy. The Strategy provides a high-level strategic framework for regional sport and recreation spaces and places (facility) planning in the Bay of Plenty region, and ensures appropriate investigations and consultation is undertaken to help guide decision-making.
The Smallbone Sportshub Project proposes bringing together four sporting organisations (Rotorua Hockey, Springfield Golf Club, Rotorua Cricket, Squash BOP) in a central location and within a multiuse facility at Smallbone Park. Collectively, the four organisations would play host to over 2500 members. The working group also invites interest from any other community groups that may wish to be part of the proposed facility.The proposed concept acknowledges the changing landscape of sport and community facilities and, under the guidance of the Regional Facilities Strategy, takes an innovative and collaborative approach to the sustainability and future investment into community facilities.
Multiuse facility developments are encouraged by Sport New Zealand and are seen as effective practice for the long-term sustainability of community organisations. Research indicates the advantages of multisport developments include operational savings (shared costs), greater revenue streams, higher quality and more functional facilities, increased usage year-round (summer and winter sports), higher membership numbers and increased participation.
The working group will now move on to the next level of investigations which include a more detailed operational plan, design concepts and business case development. Each club and organisation will individually decide on a final commitment to the project once all investigations have been completed.
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council's Kaihautū Mahi Rēhia | Sport, Recreation and Environment Manager Rob Pitkethley:
One of the goals of the district's 2030 vision is to provide outstanding places to play and one outcome of that is encouraging active communities. Our work towards achieving this includes ensuring we have good quality sports facilities that are well used and supporting the sustainability of sports clubs and codes.
Council has a representative on the working group that undertook the feasibility study and will continue to provide input, as appropriate, to the next phase of work to be undertaken. Council contributed $4000 towards the feasibility assessment.
Other information:
Re LTP and allocation for public toilets at Smallbone park:
Yes RLC still owns the grounds at Smallbone Park.
Regarding building public toilets at Smallbone - yes that is also included in the current (2018-28) LTP but with no set amount against it. The LTP has funding for a number of sports facility upgrades over the next three years and the Smallbone Park toilets are covered by the overall funding envelope for these facilities.
