Cromwell will be sporting dried-up street verges as residents protest against excess water charges by switching off irrigation water, the Cromwell Community Board was warned this week.
The board considered its options for metered charging for the three drinking-water schemes within the ward - Cromwell town supply, Bannockburn and Pisa. It decided the allocation for the coming year should be set at 365 units a year (1000 litres a day) per property, which was based on a four-person household using 250 litres per person every day.
All water-scheme users will be billed for water, above their allocated amount, as from July next year. Water meters record the amount used and consumers are charged for any water used above their allocated amount.
The water allocation per property and excess water charges vary for each scheme in the district.
Board member Helen Hucklebridge said because the allocation was for household use, and did not take into account irrigation water, residents said they would stop watering the street verges if they had to pay for excess water.
"We've spent so much money on promoting this area, to live and holiday here, and what are we going to be presenting them with if people stop watering?"
Board chairman Neil Gillespie said he and Mrs Hucklebridge had both received calls from residents to say they would stop watering the street verges when excess water charges took effect.
The Central Otago District Council was trying to educate people on the true cost of water, he said.
"People will choose not to water or to water, but the question is, are we prepared to take the risk and encourage that behaviour [not watering]?"
The council's assets and contracts manager, Murray Washington, said the allocation of water was a liberal amount.
Mr Gillespie said the board would have more information available next year, before it set the following year's allocation and excess water charges.
He was also concerned about tenants of rental properties deciding against watering gardens or verges if they were responsible for paying for extra water.
Mr Washington said the aim of water metering was to encourage water conservation.
Board member Terry Emmitt said talk of people refusing to water their properties or verges if they had to pay for excess water was "just scaremongering".
"We heard the same thing about the rubbish tip when we started charging at the tip. We were told there would be rubbish dumped everywhere," fellow board member Gordon Stewart said.
