Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Local Government Act 2002

Specific obligations and restrictions on local authorities and other persons - Obligations and restrictions relating to provision of water services - Closure or transfer of small water services

134: Criteria for closure of water service

You could also call this:

“Rules for deciding when to close a water service”

If you’re part of a local government organisation and you want to close down a water service, you need to follow some important steps first. You must review how the closure might affect the health of people in the community and the environment in the area. You also need to look at each property that gets water from this service and figure out how much it would cost to provide a different water service instead. This includes both the initial cost to set it up and how much it would cost each year to keep it running. Finally, you need to compare how good the current water service is with how good the new service would likely be. You can only close the water service after you’ve done all of these things. These rules are part of section 131(1)(a) of the law.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM172938.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councils
Environment and resources > Town planning
Health and wellbeing > Public health
Previous

133: Responsibility for conduct of referendum, or

“Who runs a special vote when a small water service might close or move”

Next

135: Criteria for transfer of water service, or

“Rules for giving a water service to a community group”

Part 7 Specific obligations and restrictions on local authorities and other persons
Obligations and restrictions relating to provision of water services: Closure or transfer of small water services

134Criteria for closure of water service

  1. A local government organisation may only close down a water service under section 131(1)(a) if it has first—

  2. reviewed the likely effect of the closure on—
    1. the public health of the community that would be affected by the closure; and
      1. the environment in the district of that community; and
      2. assessed, in relation to each property that receives the water service, the likely capital cost and annual operating costs of providing an appropriate alternative service if the water service is closed down; and
        1. compared the quality and adequacy of the existing water service with the likely quality and adequacy of the alternative service referred to in paragraph (b).