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| Waimea Community Dam Overview Photo Waimea Water |
Tasman District Council - 13 December, 2022
Tasman District Council has appointed Graeme Christie to the board of Waimea Water Ltd as one of its representative directors.
The appointment follows the resignation of Ken Smales earlier in the year to take up a key management role with the company.
Tasman District Council has four Directors appointed to the Board of Waimea Water Limited. These Directors are charged with managing the Council’s interests in the building and ongoing operation of the Waimea Community Dam.
Tasman Mayor Tim King said Graeme brings over 30 years of extremely valuable legal, contractual and construction skills that will be of benefit to Waimea Water Limited as the dam progresses through its final stages of construction to fulfil its role augmenting the Waimea River as the area’s main source of water.
As an internationally recognised practitioner Graeme has been regularly called on to advise and represent issues on some of New Zealand’s most significant construction projects.
The appointment will be formally recognised at the Board meeting of Waimea Water Ltd. on 16 December.
Waimea Water is a Council-Controlled Organisation established in November 2018 to manage the construction, operation and maintenance of the Waimea Community Dam.
The dam is a significant infrastructure project for the region and is set to secure the water supply for Nelson Tasman for the next 100+ years.
Waimea Water represents the shared interests of Tasman District Council (majority shareholder) and Waimea Irrigators Ltd to oversee and manage the Waimea Community Dam’s development, construction and operation.
Background
Waimea Water is a Council-Controlled Organisation established in November 2018 to manage the construction, operation and maintenance of the Waimea Community Dam.
The dam is a significant infrastructure project for the region and is set to secure the water supply for Nelson Tasman for the next 100+ years.
Waimea Water represents the shared interests of Tasman District Council (majority shareholder) and Waimea Irrigators Ltd to oversee and manage the Waimea Community Dam’s development, construction and operation.
The Waimea Community Dam will use nature's delivery system - rivers - to increase water to the aquifers that supply our community.
When the Waimea Community Dam is operational along the Lee River, it will work like this: when it rains in wet months, the Lee River will run higher and the Dam system will capture those higher flows and store the water in a reservoir that is being built in the Lee Valley.
During drier months when the Lee and downstream Waimea and Wairoa systems are running below desired flow levels, the Dam will release some of the stored water (slowly!) down the river, increasing their flows and naturally adding water to the aquifers.
Everyone living in Richmond, Brightwater, Mapua, and other urban areas along the Waimea Plains relies on these aquifers for their water supply, including for drinking.
Where other dams function with lots of piping to extend the water supply to urban areas, the system will be using nature as the piping system. Topping up the river flows naturally will refresh and resupply groundwater aquifer levels.
Importantly, a higher minimum flow throughout the Lee, Waimea, and Wairoa River system means improved river health, which benefits fish and other aquatic life, recreational pursuits, and environmental amenity values.
Regional water security
Access to water affects every person in Nelson Tasman. The Dam will provide access to water for 100 years for residential, industrial and commercial needs across the region.
Water users in Richmond, Brightwater, Mapua and Wakefield (Wakefield currently has a sufficient supply of water for the next 30 years with the Wai-iti Dam at Kainui) will have water security for ongoing residential and commercial needs.
The Dam can also be a third water source for Nelson.
The question is whether the increased flow in summer will be able to dilute the nitrate levels in the drinking water.
Tasman District Council press release concerning Mr Graeme Christie
Pigeon Post News
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