The new 180mm welded PVC watermain on River Rd, where it is waiting to be installed along Hakiaha St in Taumarunui. PHOTO SUPPLIED
THE end is in sight for water outages caused by an old breakage-prone 450mm watermain, which has delivered unreliable service to residents in Taumarunui’s main street in recent years.
Work is under way to replace the old watermain in Hakiaha St with a new welded 180mm PVC one, Ruapehu District Council executive manager of infrastructure Vini Dutra said.
“This is being installed in stages, using directional drilling equipment, and the first stage to be replaced will be from River Rd down to Katarina St.
“Directional drilling eliminates the need to dig up the entire road, allowing the pipe to be ‘drilled and pulled’ through a series of pilot holes along the street minimising disruption to businesses and residents while saving both time and money,” Vini said.
The combination of a manufacturing fault, age and environmental factors had made the old pipe susceptible to ruptures caused by heavy vehicles running over it.
The replacement of the water main would be a relief for local businesses that have suffered from water outages, as well as the Veolia crew, who often had to work overnight to repair the main whenever it broke.
As part of the redesign of the Taumarunui reticulated drinking water network, the 450mm main was relocated beneath Bell Rd, away from most heavy vehicle traffic and to make any future repairs and maintenance easier, Vini said.
“This first stage of the project is estimated to take about two weeks and will be carried out during daylight hours, with traffic management measures in place. Subsequently, the contractors will continue down Hakiaha St in stages of 180m to 200m until they reach the flyover.
“To minimise disruption to businesses in the CBD area, the drilling will take place at night, while the piping will be pulled through during daylight hours for the CBD stage.”
As part of the project, a steel-encased 450mm main will be run under the railway lines, connecting Bell Rd with Hakiaha St.
This would complete a new watermain loop, spanning almost 4km including Hakiaha St, Bell Rd, and Short St.
Apart from a few smaller jobs in the coming years, these works will conclude the major upgrades planned for Taumarunui’s underground drinking water infrastructure.
Combined with the upgrades to Hospital Hill, Golf Rd, Simmons Rd and other works, they would significantly enhance the resilience of the township’s reticulated network.
