Keeping Palmy flowing: A look into our water services
We make sure every glass of water you drink is safe and tasty, your business is taken care of, and those pesky rainstorms don’t ruin your day.
This page dives into each water service we provide – from drinking water to wastewater and stormwater.
Drinking water – your daily dose of H2O
Every year, we supply about 10 billion litres of drinking water to residents and businesses across our city. That's enough water to fill more than 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Our main water supply flows from the Turitea Dam in the Tararua Ranges, with about two-thirds of our water coming from here. The remaining third comes from 12 wells or bores across the city. During hot summer days, these bores kick in to keep up with demand. We also have 17.5 million litres of treated water stored at Ngahere Park and Aokautere Reservoirs, ready to meet peak demand and handle emergencies.
Stormwater – rain, rain, go away
Stormwater is all about managing rainfall. And in Palmy, we get a lot. From puddles in the street to the rain on your roof, our stormwater system is designed to keep your homes and businesses safe and dry!
In heavy rain, our system may back up a bit, but don’t worry – that’s just how it works. We’ve got 18 pump stations across the city that kick in when needed to push the water through the network. And with 6,146 manholes and 310km of piped drains, we’re well-equipped to get stormwater out to our streams and rivers.
We’re currently working on a stormwater strategy to guide our future investment as our city continues to grow. We’re doing this because more residential and industrial development means more concrete and fewer grassy or permeable areas to soak up rainwater – putting additional stress on the stormwater system.
Wastewater – because every flush matters
From the kitchen sink to your toilet, we handle any wastewater you send down the drain – all 12.9 billion litres of it each year – from more than 31,000 homes and businesses around the city!
Our 405-kilometre network of pipes (which is as long as the drive to Hamilton) and 40 pump stations work around the clock, moving your wastewater to our treatment plant. There, we remove any contaminants and treat it to ensure the water can be safely returned to the environment.
Nature Calls – the future of our city’s wastewater
As Palmy continues to grow, so does our need for a sustainable wastewater solution. Nature Calls is our plan to manage wastewater for the next 30-50 years. We're looking at a new way to treat and discharge wastewater, using a mix of land irrigation and river discharge – keeping future generations and our environment top of mind.
Our water situation today