Water  |  3 Aug 2021

The water supply capacity for Akaroa and Takamātua on Banks Peninsula has more than doubled with the installation of a new “mega” water storage tank.

Following the drinking-water contamination event in February this year, the Council installed 14 small tanks at Akaroa’s L’Aube Hill Reserve as a temporary reservoir, with a total capacity of 400,000 litres.

It has just completed installation of a much larger tank to add an extra half-million litres of storage, boosting the network’s total holding capacity to 900,000 litres for the two townships which share a water supply.

“Having the new mega tank in place gives Akaroa and Takamātua’s water supply network a much greater resilience and provides day-to-day reliability for residents,” says Council Head of Three Waters and Waste Helen Beaumont.

“Previously, the 14 smaller tanks held less water than the average daily demand, meaning there was a chance that water could be used faster than we could replenish the tanks.

“But with the new big tank in place, we now have much greater capacity on hand, greatly reducing the chances of pressure losses or shortages in the network.”

Ms Beaumont says there will likely still be a need for water restrictions over summer.

“Most water supplies in Banks Peninsula are fed by small streams, which are usually at their lowest when summer water demand is at its highest. This affects the rate at which we can process and pump water into the reservoirs. So restrictions will still likely play an important part in making sure we can supply a fair amount of water to everyone over summer.”

The Council is currently planning to build a new permanent reservoir at L’Aube Hill Reserve with a total capacity of 2 million litres. It is expected to be completed in 2024.