Drinking water standards upgrade

  • Project typeInfrastructure

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Photo: Onemana Water Treatment Plant.

A Government inquiry was sparked by the 2016 Havelock North gastro outbreak, which was linked to four deaths, and called for a major overhaul of water supplies, including mandatory treatment. 

We're upgrading almost all our water treatment plants, essentially building new ones with state-of-the-art filtration and treatment systems, in our drinking water standards project - Tautiaki Wai Māori. 

The Onemana, Tairua, Pāuanui, Whitianga, Coromandel Town and Whangamatā (Beverley Hills and Wentworth Valley) plants have been completed.

Moana Anu Anu (Whangamatā) was completed and officially opened in August 2023.

The programme for the remaining water treatment plant upgrades in Hahei and Matarangi will be completed in 2024. 

An additional water treatment plant will be built in the Puriri area and is expected to be completed in 2024/25. 

The plants are fitted with the latest technology and methodologies for treating our water including Evoca-supplied membrane units, new filtration, dosing and monitoring equipment.

All of these upgrades will ensure our drinking water quality complies with the current NZ Drinking Water standards.

The drinking water treatment plant at Thames was upgraded more recently than the other plants and is not due for an upgrade as part of this project.