3. Introduction
Hi my name is Josh and I’m going to talk to you about rainwater tanks.
I first got the idea from a stuff article read during class which covered Wellington’s 7.0 earthquake
on 3rd
July 2012 and it was all about water and it said we could be worse affected than
Christchurch ... I want to prevent that.
To find out more I researched related articles on Stuff.co.nz and Greater Wellington Regional
Council website. I looked at other websites, didn’t find any further relevant information.
Fat question
Would home rainwater tanks help
Wellington Residents after an emergency,
which disrupts the water supply?
Problem
If there was a major emergency, say an earthquake, we would all be doomed if we don’t have any
water.
People can only survive 5 – 6 days without water. Water is vital, since around 70% of our bodies
are water it is literally our life’s blood. People should be worried about having water in an
emergency. Our water system is vulnerable.
Water pipes broken during an earthquake could result in many households not have water
available from their taps. Also if raw sewage got mixed into the water supply as a result of the
broken pipes it is possible that the water coming out of the tap could be unsafe for drinking.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Wellington in July 2012 caused some of the main water
pipes in the centre of the city to break. It affected Wellington City centre.
If Wellington had another7.0 earthquake we could be worse affected than Christchurch. Tens of
thousands of litres of water would be affected. Christchurch is spread out where as Wellington
city is all bunched up close together.
4. Information
Water in the Wellington region comes from the reservoirs, storage lakes and tanks. Then it goes to
a water treatment plant and gets cleaned and then it gets given to us. This is called a water
reticulation system.
Wellington region goes through 82,000,000 litres a day of water through our taps. We use this for
showers, toilets, gardens, baths, water fights, swimming pools, fountains, pool parties, drinking and
cooking. We waste pretty much all of it, it goes down the drain.
Wellington’s water supply is controlled by the Wellington Regional Council the entire wellington
region is covered by this system. The region includes Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Wellington and
Porirua.
Porirua faces supply problems too because they get water from us as well. When they last had a
water shortage they drained water from Tawa rail tunnel.
In an emergency workers spend time delivering water to houses. Instead of delivering water which
rainwater tanks could provide, they could focus themselves on fixing the pipes.
www.gw.govt.nz/system-map-2/
5. Solution
My solution is ... buy rainwater tanks.
If you owned your own water tank, and
we had a water emergency you would
be able to share your water with your
neighbours if you have a big enough
tank.
You would be self sufficient for your
water needs. The council would
reccomenda tank in every home in the
Wellingtonregion.
Kapiticouncil requires all new homes to have a rainwater tank for outdoor use. Maybe Wellington
should too.
Wellington region needs to get better with its water usage and get better prepared for an
emergency rainwater tanks would help
6. Pricing
Building consent is required if you plan to plumb the rainwater tank into your house. Using
collected rainwater doesn’t require consent.
If you plan on drinking the rainwater you should install a leaf guard (mesh thing) to stop leaves
getting to the tank. And you should boil or dissolve a bleach tablet before drinking any rainwater.
Tank
Capacity (litres)
Cost Number people Endurance
200 $ 105 Three 15 days
500 $ 395 Three 40 days
750 $ 475 Three 80 days
1000 $ 710 Three Ongoing
Many different types of tanks do not require a professional for installation unless you are going to
plumb into your house.
Non-emergency benefits
You wouldn’t need as much reticulated water if you got a rain water tank. Also you could plumb it
into your pipes and use it for normal stuff*.
You could use it for flushing toilets,showers, washing your hands and so much more!
There would also be cost benefits for the council and low water users.
*see pricing for more details.
7. References
Stuff
Rainwater tanks may be lifeline
Make rainwater tanks mandatory
Don’t let it go down the drain
www.tanks.co.nz
www.devan.yq.co.nz
www.kiwitank.co.nz
Title page image: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tIo48HhR_j8/0.jpg
Greater Wellington Regional Council