Chapter 1: Introduction The Assets and Services Department of Marlborough District Council provides a water supply and distribution service to residences and businesses of Marlborough through seven reticulated supply schemes. Abstraction, treatment and distribution of water provide a source of drinking water, a supply for cleaning and sanitation, sustenance of livestock, irrigation and a resource for both commerce and industry. This activity contributes to the Community Outcomes of Living by providing an adequate supply of healthy drinking water for communities; Economy by providing cost effective treated water that permits commercial activities to thrive and Environment by sustainably sourcing water from aquifers and waterways. Approximately 82% of the population of Marlborough receive a piped water supply. This asset management plan covers the management of water abstraction, treatment, pumping, storage and reticulation infrastructure owned and operated by the Council. The plan does not include two irrigation schemes owned by the council – Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme and Riverlands Irrigation Scheme. The plan details the process of operating, maintaining and upgrading the water assets. It describes the current assets, the achievements in meeting the desired community outcomes and the costs of doing so. The plan looks forward to future service requirements: growth in demand from various sources; enhanced customer service in line with increased customer expectation; changing environmental constraints and the strategy for greater efficiency. The plan forecasts the cost implications of providing the water services described and the funding methods proposed and adopted by the Council. Components of the Introduction: 1.1 Purpose – what the asset management plan seeks to achieve. 1.2 Strategic Goals – how water asset management fits into the wider Council vision, goals and objectives. 1.3 Asset Management Plan – the asset management process, history and objectives. 1.4 Asset Management in Relation to the Planning Process – a summary of other planning processes within the Council. 1.5 Water Assets included in the Plan – a short summary of the water supply assets managed by the Council. 1.6 Stakeholders – the main stakeholders and interested parties in water supply activities. 1.7 Organisational Structure – how the water supply function is managed within the Council structure. 1.8 Negative Effects – the consequences of not providing or not delivering a satisfactory water service. 1.9 Plan Framework- a short description of the main elements of the asset management plan. 1.10 AM Planning Maturity- a discussion on water asset management development status. Page 1