Work is well underway on the new 4.3km raw watermain between Bells Pond and the Ferry Road bore site – a key project to secure a safer, more reliable water source for the Lower Waihao Rural Water Scheme.
This new pipeline will connect to a water source with consistently low nitrate levels, helping address the periodic nitrate spikes seen at the existing bore.
The new source water is supplied via a bypass of the Morven Glenavy Ikawai (MGI) Irrigation Scheme. Council acknowledges strong support from MGI and Te Runanga o Waihao to ensure the best possible outcome for the local community.
Installation by Leathwick Contracting Ltd is progressing well despite high groundwater and challenging ground conditions. The pipeline is designed as a gravity-fed system, an approach that keeps the project financially viable. Fibre optic cable will also be laid within the trench to support future remote monitoring and operational control of the new intake.
Construction of the new water intake structure is progressing in parallel, delivered by local company Kirk Irrigation under the recently granted resource consent from Environment Canterbury. Both the pipeline installation and intake construction are anticipated to take approximately three months to complete, subject to weather conditions.
The final stage of the overall project will see a major upgrade to the existing water treatment plant which is expected to take around one year to complete.
