Tararua District Council will be hosting a public meeting to provide an update on Dannevirke’s water and impounded supply.

This will be held on:

Date: Thursday 15 June 2023
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Venue: Dannevirke Christian Fellowship Hub (The Hub).  Allardice Street, Dannevirke

Council is committed to transparency and keeping everyone informed of exactly what is happening. Elected members, management staff and a dam engineering specialist will provide an update on the impounded supply, including the temporary repairs planned in the near future and options for a permanent solution, before providing an opportunity for questions and answers.

We also plan to record the meeting and share it on: www.facebook.com/TararuaDC and the Council website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Will the temporary repairs cause disruption to Dannevirke’s water supply?

We do not think undertaking the temporary repairs will cause any disruption to the water supply, although we have dropped the level of water in the impounded supply to 8 metres to enable repairs to be completed.  We plan to increase this once the dive team have completed their repairs.

2. Is there a risk of dam collapse or breach

There is a higher risk of dam failure than if the impounded supply wasn’t leaking, however, the risk is being carefully managed and monitored.  Council have actioned a number of recommendations from dam specialists, including lowering the level of the impounded water supply from 12.5m to 9.5m and enhancing the monitoring of water levels and the ground surrounding the dam.

3. How much money are the temporary repairs going to cost?

The anticipated cost is approximately $200k

4. When are the full repairs going to take place?

We are planning for the 2024/25 summer, however, this is subject to change depending on changes to dam stability

5. Why are council wasting money on temporary repairs?

The full repairs to the dam are complex and measures are required to be in place before the dam is emptied for permanent repairs, to reduce the risk of major disruption to Dannevirke’s water supply.  Council has yet to decide exactly what repairs will be involved, the design work to effect the repairs needs to be completed and, most importantly, water security measures need to be in place to ensure security of water supply to Dannevirke when the repairs commence, such as additional water storage capacity or the addition of a pre-treatment plant.  The earliest period full repairs can commence is the summer of 2024/25.  This temporary repair on the identified leaks, if successful, will slow the rate of leakage down to a level that will maintain Dannevirke’s water supply in the interim period.