Ground broken on ground-breaking project
Work has started on a multimillion dollar project to overhaul Te Kūiti’s water network following a recent sod turning.
The Waitomo District Council’s Te Kūiti Water Supply Resilience Project involves construction of a replacement reservoir on Hospital Road and a direct connection to it from the town’s water treatment plant.
Work has begun on the watermain. Replacement of the reservoir should begin within the next few weeks, the council’s GM of infrastructure services, Shyamal Ram, said.
Ground broken on ground-breaking project. LtoR: Waitomo councillors Isaiah Wallace, Dan Tasker, John Robertson and Eady Manawaiti, with Ben Smit (council chief executive) and Shyamal Ram (GM infrastructure services)
“We’ve been planning this for quite some time so it is a major milestone. It’s definitely a game changer because, currently, we don’t have a way to fully control the reservoir.”
Set for completion by December, the work will reduce reliance on the plant by increasing storage capacity and improving efficiency.
Rather than feeding houses first, a line from the treatment plant to the reservoirs will enable better control of water levels.
“There will be a direct pipe to the reservoir and then water will go to properties from there,” said Ram. “This way, we’ll have better control, and if there’s a burst watermain or a problem with the reservoir, we can feed water into it much quicker.”
As it stands, refilling reservoirs when pipes burst can take days to complete.
The project will also ensure reservoirs can be filled at night when electricity charges are lower, decreasing operating costs, said Ram.
HEB Construction secured the contract for the project in August, marking a significant step in addressing issues with the town’s ageing water supply network, Ram said at the time.
“This critical infrastructure upgrade marks a pivotal investment in the future of Te Kūiti, delivering enduring improvements for our water network and communities for generations to come.”
The new infrastructure – and the loan raised to fund the project – will be entrusted to the Waikato Waters Ltd Council Controlled Organisation on completion.
The need for a new reservoir in Te Kūiti was identified in 2007, but the cost was considered prohibitive at the time and other work was considered more pressing.
Upgrades to the wastewater system and water treatment plant were made between 2012 and 2018 at a combined cost of almost $20 million.
In 2022, high demand during summer and a burst pipeline resulted in reservoirs draining rapidly. Subsequently, council approved the project with an estimated budget of almost $10 million.
Ground broken on ground-breaking project
