Water meters - threat penalty serious

GERALD PIDDOCK

Last updated 13:34 07/11/2012

Action needed: Water meters must be in place by Saturday or arrangements for their installation made.

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‘If people fail to act within two weeks of our visit it is likely they will receive an abatement notice (a further cost of around $750), and if no action is taken within three days further enforcement action is likely.'

Consent holders who have failed to meet the deadline for installing a water meter can expect a letter and a visit from an Environment Canterbury compliance officer.

Water meters become compulsory for consent holders with takes of more than 20L/ second this Saturday .

The meters are a requirement under new government regulations around reporting water takes that were established in 2010.

In New Zealand there are about 12,000 consents that require water measuring devices to be installed.

Canterbury had the highest regional proportion in the country with 42 per cent.

ECan extension services manager Judith Earl-Goulet said the visit would be to establish the consent holders' water measurement status, discuss options with them, and encourage them to register with industry to get a system installed.

About 20 per cent of all consent holders fall into this category.

"If people fail to act within two weeks of our visit it is likely they will receive an abatement notice (a further cost of around $750), and if no action is taken within three days further enforcement action is likely," she said.

She strongly encouraged water users without a measuring system - and who are not currently working to towards measuring their water takes - to contact the council or an appropriate company in the service industry.

About 30 per cent of consent holders have contracted an installer to attach the meters or were working with Environment Canterbury around the water measurement requirements, she said.

"After November 10 it is our intention to treat these water users as compliant while they work with Environment Canterbury or the service industry to meet the intent of the regulations."

More than half of the consent holders had meters installed, although some of the installations were recent and had not yet sent through water usage data.

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