Local Water Done Well is a phrase we’ll be hearing a lot more in the near future.

Under Local Water, all councils must submit a new water services delivery plan for drinking water and wastewater by next September. Stormwater management may be included in that plan or remain separately managed, though the details are still being worked out.

The Government is encouraging councils to collaborate for economies of scale, and we all must present our communities with at least two options for consideration in the second quarter of next year.

The three realistic options we have are:

· Status quo – where we manage our own three waters as a business unit;

· Single CCO – a council-controlled organisation manages our water services;

· Multi-council CCO – a body owned by multiple councils, in our case potentially Marlborough and Buller, manages water services for those councils.

Each choice has its pros and cons.

The reality is that delivering drinking water, wastewater disposal, and stormwater management will be more expensive, no matter which option is chosen.

We have significantly invested in providing and delivering safe drinking water to our people, including the construction of community treatment and storage facilities, but there is a great deal more to do.

We have put together a page on our Shape Tasman website to provide you with information about this process and how you can eventually have your say on it.

It also provides background about our current water and wastewater supplies right across Tasman District.