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Last modified: 14 Jun 2021 11:56am

A boy in a blue sun hat drinks from a drinking fountain

More than $15 million worth of work has been carried out in the past year to improve our drinking water, stormwater and wastewater systems – from Arthur’s Pass to Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

A further $12.3 million of work is under way or planned for this calendar year.

The investment reflects the commitment to maintaining the district's vital services, Council Group Manager Infrastructure Murray Washington says. “Having really good water infrastructure has been a big focus for us as a Council to make sure we’re looking after this most important resource in the best way we can for residents. Our water services team has put in a huge amount of work over the year, which reflects the work it takes to maintain these systems, as well as their dedication to improving them for consumers.”

The work has included $10.4 million of upgrades to the district’s drinking water systems. This has seen three new water sources equipped with UV treatment to cater for growth in Lincoln, Prebbleton and Leeston, as well as a new deep bore in Darfield to supplement the existing supply and provide greater resilience.

Nine water treatment plants from Southbridge to Arthur’s Pass were upgraded with UV treatment and water main renewals, and system upgrades were completed in Upper Selwyn Huts, Darfield, Malvern Hills, Arthur’s Pass, Castle Hill and Hororātā.

A further $3.7 million of new wastewater infrastructure and upgrades have been installed, including a new pipeline from Doyelston to Leeston, and 1.2 kilometres of old pipes were replaced in Prebbleton and Leeston.

Over $800,000 of work has also been carried out on stormwater protection, including the next stages of the Leeston stormwater bypass, stormwater piping in Prebbleton, improvements around Hororātā township and a new weed cutter boat to safely and efficiently clear weeds from the LII river.

Water pipeline renewals worth $3.7 million are planned in Rolleston, Prebbleton, Darfield and Hororātā, while a new $7.1 million solar drying hall at the Pines Wastewater Treatment plant and a $1.5 million upgrade of the Castle Hill wastewater pond are nearing completion.