Work being done on Te Awamutu water infrastructure

20 February 2011

A leak in a water main at the intersection of Alexandra and Tawhiao Streets was repaired today following the successful detection of the source on Friday.

Service delivery manager Barry Bergin said the leak was first detected on January 31 but because the leak at the surface was some distance from where the pipe was broken it took time to locate.

Late last week sections of the main were isolated at night and the leak was found to be coming from a section of the steel main.

Once we were able to successfully locate the source of the leak the repair only took a few hours, said Mr Bergin.

Meanwhile, a leak in the water reservoir on Greenhill Drive will not be able to be repaired until water demand drops.

Mr Bergin said while the reservoir liner had been inspected when maintenance and repairs were carried out and no leak was identified, a short time later a breach occurred.

During high demand in the summer period the reservoir storage is needed to meet peak demand. It was decided to keep the reservoir in operation until demand is reduced over winter before emptying the reservoir and making the necessary repairs, he said.

Other work on Te Awamutu's water infrastructure includes the renewing of a 200mm steel main in Rewi Street.

The main, which was first put into service in 1934, is being replaced with a PVC pipe by contractors City Delivery who was selected as the preferred supplier.

Work began on February 7 and is expected to take 10 weeks.

Residents will be notified on an individual basis should the works be likely to directly affect their supply.

ENDS

For further information contact

Lisa Nairne

Senior Communications Advisor

Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760

Email: lisa.nairne@waipadc.govt.nz