Published: 24 Jan 2018

Work on the $3.3 million project to replace 9.1km of water main supplying Temuka will begin next week.

The council earlier this month voted unanimously to approve the replacement of the current Asbestos Cement pipe with a new, larger diameter High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe,

The project follows the positive identification that the source of higher than normal levels of asbestos in the Temuka water supply was due to the progressive internal failure of the current pipe.

The pipe supply contract has been awarded to Asmuss Water Systems, who will be delivering the first load of the pipes next week, a week ahead of schedule, to enable welding work to begin in advance of construction.

The contracts to install the pipe have been awarded to three separate companies, Aoraki Earthworks, Rooney Earthmoving and Fulton Hogan. They will all start work on 7 February at three separate construction sites for approximately six weeks.

Group Manager Infrastructure, Ashley Harper, said that awarding the three contracts will ensure that this major piece of work gets completed quickly and to a high standard.

“Different parts of this job require specific skills and resourcing, that’s why we’ve split it into three jobs which will run concurrently. This ensures if issues crop up at one site, the other two can continue working.

“As this is a complex project, the council will also have a field team out at the three sites, which will retain overall responsibility for coordination all the work streams.

“The replacement of the water main between the town and its water source at Orari will be a permanent solution to the issue, enabling the removal of the temporary filtration plant and restoration of normal water usage in the town.”

The larger diameter HDPE pipe will be more flexible and earthquake resilient as well as double the supply capacity to the town. Plans for a reservoir for the town will be discussed next month as part of the Long Term Plan process.

Last updated: 24 Feb 2021