​Additional water sampling costs built into future planning

The cost of additional water sampling will be included in the Central Otago District Council’s operational budget for the annual and long-term plans.

At the Council meeting at Alexandra yesterday (Wednesday 19 April), councillors were briefed on these costs arising from the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules. The new drinking water rules came into force on 14 November 2022, which meant new monitoring and sampling requirements for drinking water. Because of the timing, these costs had not been budgeted for in the 2021 Long-Term Plan or 2022/23 Annual Plan.

The increased sampling cost increase is $25,870.45 per month, and for the seven months to 30 June 2023, the cost will be $181,093.15. The anticipated cost increase in 2023/24 is still uncertain until timeframes around the installation of continuous monitoring devices are known. Installation was approved at the 23 January council meeting and a tender is being prepared for this work. If there are delays in materials, then the anticipated cost increase for the 2023/24 full year is $310,445.40.

The Council approved the $181,093.15 costs for the 2022/23 year, which will be included in the 2023/24 Annual Plan. The Council also approved the anticipated$310,445.40 costs for the 2023/24 year. The costings will come out of the operational budget and be included in the Long-term Plan.