Christchurch City Council has agreed to sign up to the first stage of the Government’s water reforms in exchange for 40 million dollars.

The Memorandum of Understanding means the council will agree with work with Government on exploring different ways to deliver water services, drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

The Government cash will be used on water infrastructure.

Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner says it is important to note that signing the stage one MOU does not commit us to anything more than that.

The Government is proposing councils join together to set up new, and much larger, entity to deliver water services.  

The new water entity will be publicly owned with councils as shareholders.

Andrew Turner said the Government is clear that it is intended that there will be protections against privatisation, with public ownership of water infrastructure a bottom line.

He admitted the extent to which a new entity could be beneficial to Christchurch City Council to be part of a new regional or multi-regional water entity remains to be seen.  

“At this stage, there are many questions that still require to be answered before we can consider our position on any proposal beyond stage one.”

Meanwhile the council has told Newstalk ZB there is still no time frame on removing chlorine from Christchurch’s water supply.

80 percent of the city’s water supply still has chlorine.