Emergency Water Supplies

Room 3

ContentsIntroduction..............................................................................................................................2

Fat question:............................................................................................................................2

Problem....................................................................................................................................2

Information...............................................................................................................................2

Solution....................................................................................................................................2

Pricing......................................................................................................................................2

Non-emergency benefits..........................................................................................................2

References...............................................................................................................................2

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 another 7.0 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.

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/

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 reccomend a tank in every home in the Wellington region.

Kapiti council 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

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.

TankCapacity (litres)

Cost Number people Endurance

200 $ 105 Three 15 days500 $ 395 Three 40 days750 $ 475 Three 80 days1000 $ 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. 

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