Local Focus: New visibility for Hastings water storage

Thanks to 13,000 bolts the new water reservoir in Frimley is slowly rising, part of an $82 million upgrade.

Currently, the reservoir is the highest-profile part of Hastings' new water infrastructure and will hold eight million litres of treated water.

Work has started on the corner of Southampton St West and Hastings St South in central Hastings, where 10 million litres will be stored.

Existing above-ground storage in Havelock North is for 20 million litres.

The water infrastructure upgrade is part of a five-year journey by Hastings District Council to ensure future generations will have clean water.

"It is fantastic seeing this construction happening for our water storage," Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said of the Frimley Park reservoir.

"This is about a $20 million investment here, the network is just about finished in the ground and this will be safe, resilient drinking water in case of any emergency, to protect our community into the future.

"The whole delivery of our water drinking strategy, at a cost of about $82 million, will be finished next year."

Hastings District Council is borrowing for the project, taking advantage of record-low interest rates. Central government funds are also in play.

The council started upgrades to its water before new government drinking-water standards were introduced, following the campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North nearly five years ago.

The offending bore has been removed.

The Frimley Park reservoir is designed to the same high seismic standard as government buildings such as hospitals and police stations.

Leaving its aluminium roof cladding unpainted could be a reflective hazard to pilots, so dark grey was chosen for the entire structure, to blend in with the shadows of the surrounding trees.

Together with new plantings it will help keep the reservoir low-profile, particularly after some locals objected to the reservoir on land originally gifted to be a recreation reserve.

Last week Waimarama started using the third of eight new small-community drinking water facilities in Hastings, after plants in Te Pōhue and Haumoana/Te Awanga were opened earlier this year.

All community projects in the Hastings District Water Strategy are due to be completed in 2022.

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