QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND | MARLBOROUGH | NEW ZEALAND
Water Use and Conservation
At Mistletoe Bay, sustainability begins with the efficient conservation and use of our precious water supply, the recycling of all our waste water, the use of solar energy, and the recycling of much of our solid waste.
Our main water supply is sourced from large rainwater catchments in the valley high above the campsite. This together with a series of small springs feeds the stream which runs down through the camp to emerge at the northern end of the bay. At the height of summer this creek runs dry at times which necessitates building up substantial water stocks during the rainy season. Using a complex system of storage tanks and reticulation, over 220,000 litres are stored in tanks high in the forest above the Bay and this is gravity fed down to the whole complex via a Steriflow 3-stage filtration system, followed up with Ultra Violet ray sterilisation.
Rain water harvested from the rooves of all new buildings on site is also gravity fed to a 20,000 litre emergency storage tank at the lowest point of the Bay. This water is pumped into the filtration system when and if required, and can also be used for irrigation, and fire fighting should the need arise. Further water saving devices such as low-flow shower nozzles and taps will be installed in the coming months.
The most exciting feature of the Mistletoe Bay water cycle is our state-of-the-art waste water treatment plant. Our "MBR" is only the fourth to be commissioned in New Zealand and the first in Marlborough. It has a very small “footprint” with 90% of the installation underground.
By eliminating septic tanks, soak pits and the chance of any sewerage contaminating the natural water system, the plant produces water of bacteriologically safe recycled or grey water which is then used to flush all toilets on site, thus saving the use of valuable fresh water. All unused grey water is pumped into a trickle irrigation system in the native bush on the hill above the campground. There, several kilometres of irrigation pipe discreetly straddle the forest floor.
This waste water system has been a considerable investment by The Mistletoe Bay Trust, but it allows for sustainable development and continued public use of the site. The Marlborough District Council has been highly supportive of its installation. We hope our successful model will guide future sustainable development in the Marlborough Sounds, thus alleviating any negative impact on the bush and marine environments.
Water: What would we do without it?
Water is a clear, colourless, odourless, and tasteless liquid, H2O, essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents.
At Mistletoe Bay we are so fortunate in having water in many and various forms: sea water, stream water, rain water, waste water, recycled water, stored water…the list goes on.
Water is our life blood, and we at the Bay do our utmost in conserving our water, using our water, and changing our water from one form to another so that our overall water system sustains the Bay and its environs for the benefit of future generations.
Please do your part to save water: take short showers; use the half-flush button on the toilets; make sure taps are turned completely off and not left to drip.