Council has granted $9547 to help Hakatere Huts residents set up a water source for fighting fires in the coastal settlement.

The hutholders’ society plans to use a tank that was once part of the Lower Hakatere drinking water scheme, until it linked into the Upper Hakatere Council supply last year.

The combined settlement has around 100 houses, occupied mainly by retired people.

Historically when there was a fire in Lower Hakatere, hutholders who were fit and able responded by connecting a small petrol driven portable pump and hose to the nearest small hydrant in the drinking water system. Those hydrants will not be able to be used when the huts’ water delivery network is upgraded in the next few years.

Upper Hakatere uses an old concrete water storage tank for firefighting purposes.

Council Chief Executive Hamish Riach said it made sense for the Lower Hakatere residents to retain one of the two 30,000 litre plastic water storage tanks and repurpose it as a reservoir for firefighting.

“Water could be used by the first volunteers on the scene and to refill New Zealand Fire Service trucks that responded.”

The tank will be moved to a flat area near the existing old hall and will be filled from the existing underground drinking water supply network. A manual ball cock float valve will be fitted so that no back contamination into the drinking water supply can occur.

“When the drinking water pipe network is eventually upgraded, the tank will simply be reconnected to the new network.”

Mr Riach said there was currently no access in Upper or Lower Hakatere to water in the volume and pressure needed to fill NZFS appliances.

“This new repurposed reservoir will benefit the whole Hakatere community, making it more resilient and reducing the risk of major fire damage to homes and nearby plantations.”