3 Waters Archives - Local Government Magazine

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Water reform – The three big-picture issues on the table

Water New Zealand has just finished a series of workshops around the country discussing the big questions the government is facing over its plans to reform the way drinking, waste and stormwater is managed. CEO John Pfahlert outlines the pros and cons around the options. At the Local Government New Zealand Conference in July, officials...

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What's WAT?

Northland Regional Council has a detailed and accurate big-picture view of how much surface and groundwater is available in its region. Its water allocation tool (WAT) is an integral part of decision-making, helping council balance the needs of ecology and people, make decisions faster and streamline consents processes. First...

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Biophilic design Dunsborough, Western Australia

Calibre’s Brendan Oversby detailed a project in Dunsborough, Western Australia, using biophilic design to integrate water-sensitive design with land development. He was speaking at the recent 2018 NZ Stormwater Conference in Queenstown. Stormwater runoff is an inescapable fact of urban life. For centuries, the drains and pipes that...

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Tackling wastewater emissions – More than just a smelly problem

Lesley Smith outlines Water New Zealand’s submission to the Productivity Commission on managing wastewater treatment plant emissions. Wastewater treatment plant operators are used to thinking about the air emissions around wastewater treatment facilities. Odour from a wastewater treatment plant can be one of the surest bets for...

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The future of water – The debate continues

Alan Titchall reports from the two-day Water Summit 2018, attended by local government delegates, industry experts and central government officials, who will be implementing regulatory water change in the future. As LGNZ president Dave Cull pointed out in his opening address, a summit on delivering future three waters solutions...

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New foundation - Cementing in a place for Maori law in resource management

Should the Resource Management Act be reformed to provide a stronger direction in recognising the importance of Maori law in resource consent decision-making? University of Otago professor of law Jacinta Ruru says that, when pitted against other components such as business, Maori law fast becomes just a nice-to-have value. Earlier this...

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Irrigation report finds room for improvement

A recent report by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) makes four recommendations to help councils improve the quality of information recorded from water meters and how they use this information. This is the first of seven audits by the OAG that will look at how public organisations manage water. The report, Monitoring how water is...

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Making a splash - Wellington launches country’s first above-ground emergency water network.

If the ‘big one’ had hit the capital a year ago, many Wellingtonians would have been without a water supply for 100 days or more. The situation is now very different. A partnership between infrastructure specialists Cardno and council-owned utility Wellington Water has turned the traditional supply approach on its head. If, and...

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Smart Solutions – Stormwater Management

Recent extreme weather events have once again raised debate about the best ways to ensure resilient and affordable stormwater management. Meanwhile, Patricia Moore reports that water sensitive urban design will become a more mainstream practice when the tangible benefits are better analysed and communicated. Forget the grey – think...

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