Hutt subsidy for water wasters puts River at risk

Hutt City Council was asked this week to allow more water to be taken from the Hutt River/Te Awa Kairangi to supply homes and businesses in Greater Wellington.

The request from the Regional Council was to approve lower river flows for three years, starting September 2011, to allow the upgrade of water storage lakes north of Upper Hutt.

"The concerns expressed by Councillor Max Shierlaw in the Hutt News about the environmental impact of this move are justified", said VAN spokesperson Grant Brookes. "And he's right to ask for more time to get independent advice.

"Low river flows in the summer of 2005/06 created the breeding grounds for toxic algae which killed five dogs and made the water unsafe for swimming. More dogs died in the summer of 2007/08 and in 2009/10.

"But we're in this situation now because of the policies that all the current Councillors have followed for the last three years.

"A water crisis was looming even before this latest request from Greater Wellington. The Council has been telling residents to use less. In the background is the threat of household water meters, which would add a water bill to the power and phone bills arriving in the letterbox each month and make our water network ripe for privatisation.

"Yet the Council currently gives a discount to bulk water users if they consume more than 100,000,000 litres of water a year. This is effectively a subsidy encouraging water waste, on a grand scale.

"Phasing out this subsidy would cost residential ratepayers nothing. It would drive home the conservation message where it's most needed and delay the need for major spending on our water supply.

"It would even raise money to help install household rainwater tanks, making water meters unnecessary.

"VAN - Valley Action Network believes that our river is the jewel in the city's crown. We're standing candidates for Hutt City Council committed to:

* A city for the residents - not for property developers & investors * No water meters, no privatisation - protect river & residents * Build council houses - create jobs, assets & affordable homes * No GST on rates - a tax on a tax is robbery * Council change, not climate change - a future for our kids * Free public transport - it makes climate sense & serves the people

Our full water policy is reprinted below.

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No water meters, no privatisation - protect river & residents

Water supplies in Wellington and Lower Hutt are starting to run dangerously short. Already so much is being taken from the Hutt River, especially in summer, that it's making our precious waterway sick. Low flows create the breeding grounds for toxic algae. Dogs are dying and our children can no longer swim safely. It's a similar story the world over. Water resources are under pressure due to the endless pursuit of growth. Climate change, bringing drier summers, will make it even worse. Fully two fifths of water supplied in the Wellington region is used by businesses. A single firm, Taylor Preston's abattoir in Ngauranga Gorge, uses more than a billion litres a year. Yet Hutt City and the water management company it half-owns, Capacity Infrastructure Services, want residents to pay to fix the looming water crisis. Their two "solutions" are to either dam a pristine river valley (costing ratepayers $150 million) or to install water meters in every home (price tag, $70 million). Currently, every household pays the same annual charge for water. This way, everyone can afford what is a basic human need. Commercial and industrial users have water meters and pay according to how much they use. Charging households by the litre with water meters is unfair. It would place financial strain on large families, low income earners and those on fixed incomes. If fully introduced, water meters will mean another bill in the letterbox each month for people already facing increases in rent, power, GST and job uncertainty. Capacity and Hutt City Council say that water meters will encourage water conservation. But at the same time, the Council gives a 25 percent discount to commercial and industrial users who consume over 100,000,000 litres of water a year. With the water meters they've already got, excessive use is encouraged. Auckland City Council introduced household water meters in 1991. This experiment has failed to deliver on its promise of water conservation. It has merely imposed an unjustified burden on residents. The current push for household water meters isn't really about conservation. Meters will commercialise water, creating a product that's sold by the litre to customers who have to buy it. Water meters are the first step towards privatisation. Private companies are very interested in New Zealand water supplies. The endless pursuit of profit that's straining our natural resources has also led to the global economic crisis, meaning investors are looking for new returns. Already, the law allows councils to transfer assets to so-called 'Council Controlled Organsiations' like Capacity, who can sell up to a 50 percent stake to private investors. Now a bill is before parliament, promoted by ACT MP and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide, letting private companies control 100 percent of a city's water for 35 years at a time. The experience of water privatisation overseas shows that the profit motive encourages companies to drain rivers and sell more water, not conserve it. Private companies also have an incentive to cut costs on network maintenance. Knowing they're unpopular, Hutt, Wellington and Upper Hutt City Councils are proposing a "trial" of around 560 domestic water meters. 150 of them will be in Lower Hutt. It's the start of a slippery slope. The real solutions to our water shortages are simple. 16 percent of Hutt City's water is lost between the reservoir and the tap, mainly through leaky pipes. Fixing the network will save water. Public initiatives such as low flow showerheads, rain water tanks, and grey water recycling will also greatly reduce water consumption. Environmental research group Beacon Pathway has built an environmentally friendly house in Waitakere City. Just by installing a rainwater tank, low flow showerheads and a dual flush toilet, the household reduced its use of mains water by 66 percent. Instead of spending $70-$150 million on regional "fixes" that will hurt people and the environment, Hutt City could spend its share of the price tag on leak detection and promoting water efficiency.

VAN believes that the right to water access is a basic human right. If elected we will:

• Phase out the discount for high volume water users, so they pay for what they use • Scrap the trial of 150 domestic water meters in Lower Hutt and replace it with a trial of low flow showerheads, rain water tanks, and grey water recycling • Promote these water conservation initiatives by subsidising the cost of installation in homes • Oppose the introduction of water meters and support residents taking action against them • Keep water under council control and oppose Rodney Hide's bill that would allow full privatisation of water

ENDS

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