Charge for delivery

In response to Geoffrey King’s letter, titled Above the law (Jan 27), It’s important to make clear that the council doesn’t charge ratepayers for water itself; rather it charges for its delivery through a sprawling network of pipes, pumps and other infrastructure that continuously transports the water safely and speedily from source to tap.

When the district’s water use doubles over summer (compared to winter), the cost of delivering that water goes up and we risk loss of sufficient pressure for firefighting. That increase in demand isn’t spread evenly, with most of the district’s total water supply being used by only a small proportion of households.

Charging for excess water supply from July 1 will help the district save money in two main ways: it will improve security of supply and reduce the water delivery costs over summer, and it will also mean we don’t need to keep expanding and maintaining the supply network just to cater to the minority of very high water users.

For more information about the upcoming excess water supply targeted rate, please visit ccc.govt.nz/ WaterReporter.

Helen Beaumont, Head of Three Waters, Christchurch City Council