7 May 2009

Checking process for installation on water meters

12:53 pm on 7 May 2009

Landowners in the Selwyn-Rakaia area approve of moves by the Canterbury Regional Council to ensure strict criteria for installing and running water meters have been met.

The council is reviewing more than 600 groundwater consents, which means landowners will need to install water meters if they do not have them already.

The council is also looking to compile an approved list of companies to do the water metering work in the area.

Water meter manager John Young says the first area to be reviewed under the process is the Rakaia-Selwyn groundwater allocation zone, where the reliability of the supply is at risk due to the demand for water.

He says farmers in that area have asked the council to look at a cost-effective solution for water metering that meets all requirements.

While farmers won't have to use the council-approved companies to do the work, Mr Young says the systems will need to be audited to check the criteria are met.

He says a panel has been established to vet interested companies. It includes farmer representatives, Irrigation NZ, a dairy farmer and council officers.

The Selwyn-Rakaia Cluster group, which represents 480 resource consent holders, says water metering is not cheap, so it's beneficial for farmers that the council is doing work to ensure the money is well-spent.