The Shannon community is leading the way with its water conservation efforts.

For the first time since records began, Shannon’s reticulated water network has met performance measures under the Infrastructure Leakage Index – a worldwide benchmark for water supply networks.

The index measures how much water in the network is lost via leaks, by comparing the ratio between current real water losses over unavoidable real losses.

Water Quality Conservation and Supply Lead Albert Hoffmann, or The Leak Geek as he is affectionately known, is leading the rollout of water meters across the district.

In March 2024, water meter installation began in Shannon, as it was the water supply with the highest leakage. Approximately 27% of the district have had the new smart water meters installed since the project started.

Why is this good for the community?

Shannon’s Water Demand is now less than half what we are allowed to take from the Mangaore Stream as part of our resource consent conditions. This compares to February 2024 when we were close to our consent limit of 1.2 million litres per day. And while seasonal variation needs to be considered - winter consumption is usually lower than peak demand in summer - the change is significant.

As well as being good for the whenua, it also means there is not as much pressure to invest straight away in expensive infrastructure to keep up with the demands of growth.

Miranui Ward Councillor Paul Olsen says “We are grateful to the community for doing their part to reduce their water consumption and fix leaks that have been identified. The water meter project has also enabled Council to identify leaks in the network and at the toby and fix them straight away, which has led to much greater efficiency of the network.”

What is next for the water meter project?

80% of water connections in Shannon now have a smart meter installed. The remaining 20% require maintenance which will be undertaken by Council contractors, after which meters can be installed.

In May Council began water meter installation in Foxton (the water supply with the second highest leakage), with 1076 meters installed to date. 76% of water connections in Foxton now have a smart meter installed with the remaining 24% still requiring maintenance.

In July, the focus shifted to Levin, with around 1930 of water connections now smart metered and installation still in progress.

The water meter project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and comes at a cost of approximately $6m, which was approved as part of Council Long Term Plan Amendment 2021-2041.

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