Here’s a round-up of a few things happening in the water space across the Tararua District.

Water Restrictions

With temperatures dropping and recent rain in parts of the district, water restrictions across Tararua District have been lifted. The only exception is Ākitio, where we continue to experience leaks in the pipeline from the treatment plant to the top two treated water storage tanks. We want to thank the Ākitio community for their cooperation and patience.

Councillors and the water team also wish to express their thanks to residents for their efforts to reduce water consumption, particularly in Eketāhuna and Woodville. A special mention to the residents of Dannevirke in their water conservation and to the water management team, as no water restrictions were initiated at all over the summer.

Wastewater plant in Dannevirke

The new Dannevirke Wastewater Plant is almost complete. Currently the team are moving from the commissioning phase into the final performance phase and training has commenced for the operators.

Results of water testing taken during the commissioning phase shows that water quality surpasses the initially set goals, which is a great result for the environment. Handover of the new plant to Tararua District Council is expected to happen by the end of April.

Eketāhuna reservoir

In February, seismic assessments were completed on all the water reservoirs and tanks in the district including the Dannevirke water supply reservoir # 2, Woodville water reservoirs # 1 and 2, the Pahiatua Reservoir and the Eketāhuna Timber tanks # 1 and 2. The Eketāhuna # 1 tank, built in 2000, has been assessed as being in poor condition and an engineer has advised that this should be addressed urgently.

Work is currently underway to commence the repairs which will include having to empty and then refill this tank. We don’t anticipate any significant changes to the water supply during this period. Eketāhuna residents will be advised once dates have been identified for the repairs to be completed and will be kept informed throughout the project. Council is still awaiting the final seismic reports for the two reservoirs in Woodville.