Te Awamutu water supply improvements
Over the next decade, we're making major investments into core infrastructure like water. This has been strongly signalled in recent 10-Year Plans.
To improve the district's infrastructure, we're connecting the Te Awamutu water scheme to the Pukerimu scheme (which services rural households between Te Awamutu and Cambridge, Hamilton Airport, Ohaupo and Mystery Creek).
Project updates
October - November 2021
On 4 October, potable (drinking water) water supply from the upgraded Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant started flowing into the Te Awamutu water supply for regular use. This kick-started the official 28-day commissioning period to complete and finalise the Te Awamutu Water Supply project as it transitioned across from being a construction project into a regular operational activity.
August - September 2021
Commissioning has been put on hold due to Alert level 4 restrictions for COVID-19. Commissioning will resume at Alert Level 3.
July - August 2021
We are currently undertaking the final commissioning of the new Te Awamutu Water Treatment Supply.
April - June 2021
The past three months were spent completing the interior of the new Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant (stage 3) and on 22 June 2021, a karakia (blessing) of the waters took place on location at two facilities in the new supply line, the upgraded Parallel Road water treatment plant near Cambridge, and the Te Rua Kotāre (Taylor’s Hill) Reservoir in Te Awamutu.
Ngāti Koroki Kahukura representatives, Taiapa Kara, Poto Davies and Rangipuhi King, Ngāti Apakura representatives Professor Tom Roa, Hazel Wander and Barney Manaia, Ngā Iwi Topu o Waipā chair Gaylene Roberts, attended the dawn ceremony, along with Waipā District Mayor Jim Mylchreest, Waipā Iwi Relations Advisor Shane Te Ruki, staff and contractors who worked on the project.
At each site karakia was followed by whaikōrero (formal speeches). The speakers were Prof. Tom Roa and Iwi Relations Advisor Shane Te Ruki who acknowledged the precious gift of water from one body of water and local iwi to another – “He matahīapo te ora; he matahīapo te wai” Life is infinity precious; water is basis of life.” Mayor Mylchreest spoke reaffirming the invaluable nature and the importance of what had been achieved.
- Check out the media release here.
March 2021
Check out our latest progress shot below of the Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant.
Latest aerial photo of Parallel Road water treatment plant, part of Waipa District Council's Te Awamutu Water Supply upgrade project
December 2020 - February 2021
Progress is going well on Stage Two with the Bond to Racecourse Roads section being laid for the new water supply. At this time a section of Racecourse Road (between Taylors Ave and State Highway 3) will be closed with a detour in place down Greenhill Ave. Residential access will be available from Taylors Avenue entrance/exit.
Over on Stage Three - the new water treatment plant building is nearing completion and we have done the first lifts for the treated water tank.
The switchboard which will control the plant operations has also been received and will be installed over the coming weeks.
We have also started construction of the neutralised tank (used to hold chemicals from the treatment process and spillages then neutralise them before they are removed from site on a regular basis) and have also connected to the new bulk main which connects to Stage Two.
November 2020
November was a busy month with the pipeline being fully laid and only the connection between Bond and Racecourse Roads still to take place. Over the next coming weeks, we’ll be pressure testing the pipe in preparation for its use once the Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant upgrade is completed.
At the plant site, we have almost completed the main building, with an electrical fitout of offices and plant rooms well underway. We have started the main pipework and are receiving delivery of the UV reactors, which treat the water in its final stages once operational. We have also received the first of four filter membrane tanks to site, with the remainder arriving shortly.
Outside the plant walls, earthworks are nearly finished and we are preparing the sludge ponds for their liners. Drainage is also in place to the west of the site. The flocculation tank is nearing completion, with the access stairwell and handrails still to be installed. The main treated water tank concrete base slab has been poured in preparation for the new tank to be erected in the near future.
Images below show progress on site at the new treatment facility.
October 2020
We have made great progress on the Parallel to Taylors section (stage two) with 90 percent of the new water supply pipeline installed underground. Once the pipeline has been fully laid, we will commission the new pipeline, getting it ready for use.
Images below show the new water supply pipeline being laid between the new treatment plant and Te Awamutu.
The Parallel Road Treatment Plant main building is well underway and is being prepared for water treatment process to be provided (bottom left). The new 1.5 million litre treated water reservoir base is ready to be poured with the steel tanks arriving onsite shortly (bottom middle). Framework for the chemical storage facility is also well underway with the roof and cladding due to be installed in the coming weeks (bottom right).
July - August 2020
On Thursday 30 July we completed the last connections of the new pipeline, the major connection at Pukerimu Pump Station and moving 22 existing property connections onto to the new pipeline. This work involved a planned eight-hour shutdown and the decommissioning of the existing pipe.
As a result of this work, the new raw water supply pipeline had an excess of air once it was reconnected to the high-pressure system as water once again flowed between the Waikato River and the Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant. Air is not a water quality issue, however it does make water difficult to treat which meant we were unable to bring potable (drinking) water to reservoirs across the network in the usual amounts. This meant residents on the Pukerimu scheme (Ohaupo, Kaipaki, Roto-o-rangi and surrounding rural areas) had periods of low pressure or no water pressure. We asked residents to use less water while we isolated the source of the air and purged the existing air from the system. This work continued into the second week of August.
The final inspection of stage one took place and further work will take place in the coming months.
June 2020
The final pressure test of the raw water main pipeline has been completed successfully along Cambridge Road and the permanent road seal has been reinstated. The road detour has now been removed and traffic flow will resume as normal.
Work will continue further along Stage One, with pressure testing at the corner of Lamb Street, Silverwood Lane, Cambridge Road and Kaipaki Road intersection. As work will take place outside of the road corridor, there will be minimal interruption to traffic flow, however stop/go traffic may be in place at some times.
The pipeline connection at Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant and Pukerimu Pump Station will also take place over June - July. Once this section is completed, a final inspection will take place.
Stage two continues to make great progress, with the new treated water main pipeline being installed along State Highway 3. This section is expected to take approximately 10 weeks to complete. Stage three - Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant upgrade - is due to start this month and will be completed by the end of 2021.
Mid-May 2020
We are now halfway through the final pressure testing stage with the road being reinstated between Silverwood Lane/Lamb Street and the taxidermist. Pressure testing of the pipeline section between the taxidermist and the Monavale Homestead/Capernwray will start on Thursday 21 May. Once this section passes, the permanent road seal will be applied and the detour lifted.
May 2020
Work has recommenced on stage 1 of the programme with Fibre Networks reinstating the road detour to undertake the final pressure testing of the new pipe. Once this test has been passed, the road will have a permanent seal applied and the road detour will be removed.
Work continues on the Kaipaki Road/Cambridge Road connection to join the two pipes. The majority of this work will take place outside of the road corridor, however traffic management will be in place at times.
Stage 2 of the pipeline project has also restarted with work continuing to install the pipe between Parallel Road Treatment Plant and Taylors Hill reservoir.
March - April 2020
A temporary road seal has been put in place so the road detour can be removed while the pipeline project is on hold during the Covid-19 Alert Level Four restrictions.
Febuary 2020
Stage 1 programme update: Cambridge Road works have had a flurry of activity, with excellent progress being made. Fibre Networks are currently drilling the final drill-shot for the last bulk main section along this road. Following this, the pipe will be connected with Kaipaki Road’s pipeline – this majority of these works will take place outside the road corridor and stop/go traffic management will be in place.
We expect the road detour to be lifted by end of March. We would like to say a huge thank you to our residents and commuters for their patience and understanding while this major infrastructure project has taken place.
Stage 2 programme update: Progress is tracking well with the majority of pipe work taking place in private farmland.
January 2020
Work has resumed along Cambridge Road in early January with good progress to date. Contractors have now laid pipe along 1.2km of the 2km section. The road detour has resumed and is expected to be lifted at the end of April 2020 to coincide with the completion of the Stage 1 programme.
In the Stage 2 programme, earthworks are taking place along Wallace Road and Turkington Road and contractors are making excellent progress.
December 2019
The active work site has moved along Cambridge Road following the unscheduled delay at the Parallel Road corner. The issue on an existing water pipe has been remedied and the project team are happy to be moving further down to complete the work programme.
Unfortunately this, coupled with slow progress to date, has resulted in an additional 10-12 weeks to our scheduled work programme. We are working hard to make up this time, keeping in mind that the infrastructure will be in place for approximately 100 years so we need to ensure it is installed correctly at every step of the way.
Project works will halt over the holiday season, Friday 20 December 2019 to Monday 6 January 2020 and the road will be reinstated as normal for all traffic.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our local residents who are also required to use the detour to access their properties. Your patience and understanding of this major project is greatly appreciated by everyone at Waipā District Council and we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
November 2019
Fibre Networks have discovered the large concrete thrust block on the existing water pipe at the Parallel Rd corner is interfering with the connection of two new bulk water mains on Cambridge and Parallel Rds.
The thrust block had been enlarged over time in order to provide sufficient reinforcing for the pipe to cope with increased pressure due to population growth, and was larger than anticipated. In order to complete the connection, Fibre Networks are repositioning the pipe without interrupting water supply to Pukerimu residents. Once this work has been completed, they will be moving further down Cambridge Road to resume the scheduled work programme.
A reminder that businesses along the detoured road are still open to the public and are happy to receive your custom.
October 2019
Works on the Kaipaki Road section are being finalised with final touches being put in place. A huge thank you to all residents and commuters for your patience during the resulting traffic delays.
What's happening?
Over the next few years, we will be completing an essential upgrade of the Parallel Road Treatment Plant to connect the Te Awamutu Scheme to the Pukerimu Scheme with a new trunk main. This is great for the whole district as it will provide improved network resilience.
There are three stages to this project:
- Pukerimu to Parallel Road water treatment plant pipeline
- Parallel Road water treatment plant to Taylors Hill reservoir pipeline
- Parallel Road water treatment plant upgrade
Pukerimu to Parallel Road - COMPLETED
This involved connecting Pukerimu Scheme to Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant with a new bulk raw (untreated) water main. This will bring water from the Waikato River to Parallel Road for treatment. We've installed more than 6km of new pipeline between the Pukerimu pump station and the plant.
Parallel Road to Taylors Hill Reservoir - COMPLETED
This involved installing new bulk treated water main between Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant and Taylors Hill Reservoir. We've installed more than 16km of pipes, including quality testing, commissioning and reinstating the services.
The installation took place along the following roads: Parallel Road, Turkington Road, Wallace Road (not continuous), Wallace Road to Muir Road (greenfield works), Muir Road, Taylors Avenue, Bond Road, Moxham Road, Ohaupo Road, Greenhill Drive and Te Rahu Road.
Parallel Road Water Treatment Plant Upgrade - COMPLETED
The upgrade works involved building a new modern plant to treat water to modern environmental standards. This is the final step in completing Te Awamutu's upgraded water supply and will include increasing capacity at the treatment plant to cope with future demand. The construction stage began in May 2020 and was completed in May 2021. Commissioning is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
Background
In Te Awamutu, we have an issue with supply. We simply don't have enough water to supply the town with the water it needs, and we can't cater for projected growth with the current water sources. This is because Te Awamutu currently sources water from the Mangauika Stream on Mt Pirongia. Under our resource consent with the Waikato Regional Council, we're restricted as to how much water we can take from that stream.
Connecting the Te Awamutu and Pukerimu schemes will mean Te Awamutu is no longer just reliant on the Maungauika stream and Frontier Road bore for water. It will do a lot towards resolving the issue of water supply for Te Awamutu. It also means the wider Waipā district will have a back-up water supply across all water schemes. Overall, this project and the upgrade of the Parallel Road treatment plant will make the Waipā district’s total water supply far more resilient.
The Pukerimu scheme sources water from the Waikato River and currently provides treated water to rural households between Cambridge and Te Awamutu, the Hamilton Airport, Mystery Creek and Ohaupo.
Connecting the Te Awamutu and Pukerimu schemes will address a number of issues. The population of Waipā is growing and with it, we must be able to supply everyone with water which means we need the infrastructure in place to do so.
