Hauraki District Council’s $4.4 million Kaimanawa drinking water supply project near Hikutaia is underway.
The project will supply quality drinking water treated at the Paeroa water treatment plant to properties in the Kaimanawa and Maratoto areas currently connected to the rural supply.
To make sure there’s a continuous supply, Hauraki District Council will also build a 2000 cubic metre reservoir, which will store enough drinking water for three days. It’s hoped the reservoir will be completed by the end of June 2020.
Part of a larger project
The Kaimanawa drinking water supply is the last of the council’s rural supplies to be upgraded as part of an ambitious project to upgrade all its rural drinking water supplies. The Waikino, Karangahake and Mackaytown water supplies have all been upgraded over the past few years.
Progress
Council began laying water pipes in rural areas between Hikutaia and Paeroa in March and began laying water pipes in Paeroa township in January 2020. Work on this section will be completed in March.
The work through Paeroa township will be installed by the less invasive method of drilling underground, rather than digging open trenches, and most of the work will be carried out in the road reserve. Pressure testing and commissioning of the pipeline will commence in late March and be completed at the end of April 2020.
Works for an access track and reservoir platform at Kaimanawa have commenced and are due for completion in late March 2020. Once the access track and reservoir platform are ready, the new reservoir will be constructed with an estimated completion date of June 2020.
Once the new system is complete, the existing Kaimanawa drinking water supply will be shut down as it doesn’t meet new drinking water standards and is at the end of its useful life. The new system will have 3 days capacity and comply with Drinking Water Standards New Zealand.
Boil water noticeA permanent boil water notice is currently in place and has been for several years for users of the Kaimanawa supply. The water is treated but there have been problems with water quality and supply in the past, especially during flooding. TimelineMar 2020 - Completion expected for the pipework in the Paeroa township April 2020 – Reservoir construction commences Jun 2020 - Expected completion |
