2011-2012 Annual Report - Full Version - PDF - Palmerston North ...

EnvironmentalSustainability... What the Council Does WaterActivity - WaterWhat the Council doesThe Council provides a safe and reliable supplyof water to residential, industrial and commercialproperties.There are three public water supply systems:Palmerston North main urban area, Ashhurst andthe Linton rural area.These systems consist of two dams at Turitea, fourreservoirs, five bores, one full treatment plant, 510km of piped reticulation, and fire hydrants togetherwith valves, tobies and water meters which supplywater to approximately 28,000 properties.The Council develops and implements a Waterasset management plan to ensure that theseassets can deliver reliable services to existing andfuture customers in the most cost effective andsustainable way.Why the Council does this and itscontribution to Council vision andmajor goalsLike the previous Activities, Water contributesto the goals of making Palmerston North acity where people want to be, attracting andretaining businesses and to making it a moreenvironmentally sustainable city.An adequate supply of water suitable for drinkingis a fundamental requirement for the health andgeneral well-being of the community. People wantto live in a city that has clean and safe drinkingwater. They want enough water pressure to havea “decent” shower and for general household use,such as watering gardens. They also want theCouncil to have a water conservation strategy.Businesses and industry also rely on a good supplyof water.Residents and businesses expect the water systemto be reliable, well maintained and that it keeps upwith growth in the City.The Water Activity also supports communitysafety through the fire fighting capability of thewater system.The Council contributes to environmentalsustainability through the Water Activity byimplementing conservation measures to reducethe amount of water that people use (e.g. limitingdemand for garden watering in the summermonths) and by reducing the amount of waterlost through leaks in the system. It also promotesopportunities for the efficient use of water. Aswell as this it ensures that its treatment plant andpumps are efficient. The Council also maintainsthe ecological condition of the water catchment atTuritea Reserve and the Turitea Stream.What happened in the yearWork on replacing the old cast iron water pipes inthe City is largely complete and in future years theamount of money spent on water pipe renewalswill be reduced. This year pipes were renewed inWeston Avenue, Langston Avenue, and Margaret,Rainforth, Vogel, Willis, Fitchett, Manuka and KingStreets.The Council develops and implementsa Water asset management plan toensure that these assets can deliverreliable services to existing andfuture customers in the most costeffective and sustainable way.Work continues in upgrading the waternetwork to provide improved water distributionand redundancy through the network, withconstruction of a new water main along theManawatu River bank and into Albert Street. Thiswork will continue next year with further extensionlater in the 10 Year Plan period.A number of minor upgrades and renewals wereundertaken at the Water Treatment Plant (WTP),the bores and the pump stations including repairsto the WTP access road, pump replacements andturbidity meters replacement.114 Palmerston North City Council Annual Report 2011/12