Picton's water supply runs short

By Maia Hart

Picton's water supply is at its limit and with no easy way of sourcing more, the Marlborough District Council is having to look at "demand management".

Restrictions on garden sprinklers were introduced last week, but water meters could be coming to the port town, including Waikawa, sooner rather than later, given their success in Renwick.

A report presented to the council in February last year said Picton was "at the limits" of its two existing sources and a third source would be a substantial cost, at $19 million.

And due to the deteriorating quality of the water in the Essons Valley dam, it was getting harder to keep that treatment plant operating, council operations and maintenance engineer Stephen Rooney said.

He said implementing water meters had proved "very successful" in the past.

"Renwick for example, once we put water meters in and commenced charging, or even slightly before that, people were now saving between 25 and 30 percent on what [water] they used previously.

"So if we can manage to get water metering in Picton, and reduce that demand, then the current sources will be able to meet the demand."

He said this was something the council already planned to consider as it was included in the annual plan, to be discussed in February.

"The programme for metering is for installation to commence in 2024/25. Some of the discussion that might be had in the next month or so is about the timing of that and whether it needs to be earlier or not."

Although, he said before anything was introduced there would need to be "quite a lot" of community consultation.

"To the Picton community and others, when these [sprinkler] restrictions come on, we ask the community takes that on board and assists in using water conservatively," he said.

Picton resident Beryl Bowers said she had expected the restrictions were coming, given how dry it had been.

Bowers and her husband Cliff, who used to be a district councillor, had water tanks on their property to save rain water.

"We're very aware [of] how important water is," Bowers said. "We've always been aware of the water situation in Picton."

Cliff said the limited water had "forever been a concern".

"They've [council] looked for other sources, but haven't been able to procure any," he said.

"Restrictions are only housing restrictions, we're restricting to make sure the supply is for everybody. I have no problems with that.

"It's going to get drier, so when you're looking at things you have to be mindful of the whole scenario, and not just say 'right we want water for Picton' and just take it. I hope that if people adhere to the restrictions then there won't be a problem."

Picton Smart and Connected co-chair Richard Briggs said restrictions were "one of those things".

"When you drive into Blenheim, you see the Wither hills are sort of like a tinderbox, and you know that shortly after that we're going to get some water restrictions," he said.

"I think people genuinely are trying to conserve water. It's a funny thing, years ago everyone had baths in their house and washed their cars, you don't see that so much now, or sprinklers indeed."

Picton resident Rob Burn, who owns the Villa Backpackers Lodge, said as a business owner he was conscious of how much water they used.

"Our gardens, they suffer a bit at this time of year, but we're not too bothered if our lawns go a bit brown," Burn said.

Picton and Waikawa water restrictions

• Properties with an even-numbered street address can use a sprinkler on even-numbered calendar days
• Properties with an odd-numbered street address can use a sprinkler on odd-numbered calendar days
• Hand-held hoses can continue to be used, but use should be limited
• Businesses are asked to reduce their water use where possible
• If you have a timer, irrigate at night between the hours of 10pm and 5am, on your allocated day
• Fix leaks and dripping taps
• Wash clothes and dishes on full load

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