Historic Napier water tower gets new lease of life with tech upgrade

The iconic Thompson Rd water tower, first built in 1910, is being put back into circulation with some new technology. Photo / NZME

An unused, historic water tower on top of Napier's Bluff Hill is being given a new lease of life.

At 20 metres high, the iconic tower on Thompson Rd was first erected in 1910 then rebuilt after the earthquake in 1931. It has been out of service since 1956.

Now Napier City Council is utilising a cutting-edge telemetry system to get it back in action.

Water strategy manager Russell Bond says putting the old water tower to work as a base for new tech is a great way to breathe new life into a treasured asset.

"The tower is a landmark because you can see it from everywhere. That means it's perfectly situated to pick up information and send it to our servers."

The new tech perched on the tower replaces analogue technology that has been in place since the 1980s and is the latest in SCADA technology designed by New Zealand company 4RF in Wellington.

SCADA is the acronym for supervisory control and data acquisition, bringing vital intel into the NCC water team such as reservoir levels, water usage and pump flow rates from the wastewater treatment plant.

Bond said this would bring Napier one step closer to contemporary, modern water management, albeit with its own heritage twist.

"It was a very thin pipe carrying very important information, so it's essential that we've increased our capacity for carrying that information. It's great to be able to put this heritage water asset back into good use."