Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Tararua District Council is upgrading its water treatment plants in Dannevirke, Woodville and Eketāhuna. These essential improvements are aimed at enhancing drinking water quality in order to meet the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards supporting the district’s water treatment plants to meet future demands.

The infrastructure work is being done through a collaborative model between the Tararua District Council and Filtec water treatment specialists, which has been coined the Filtar Alliance. This partnership is based on the principle of having a single delivery team which shares risks and responsibilities and aims to deliver the best outcomes for the Tararua District.

The upgrades are funded through the Department of Internal Affairs Three Waters Stimulus Grant, as part of Central Government’s broader Three Waters Reform programme, which is now moving at pace. In 2020, council was successful in securing $5.02m for investment in three waters (water, wastewater and stormwater).

The combined cost of these water treatment plant upgrade projects is estimated to be $3.2 million. The remaining funds from the stimulus grant will be used for further assessments, planning and improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure.

Civil work on the water treatment plants started in June 2021 and is expected to be completed around October 2021 for Dannevirke, November 2021 for Woodville and March 2022 for Eketāhuna.

Plant History:
Woodville’s plant was built in the 1960’s and received its last major upgrade in 2010, while Dannevirke’s plant was last upgraded in 2016. In Eketāhuna, residents are experiencing discolouration in the water and this upgrade will install equipment that can manage that.