Wairoa District Council recieved more than $11m of funds towards the districts Three Waters infrastructure. Photo / File
Wairoa District Council recieved more than $11m of funds towards the districts Three Waters infrastructure. Photo / File
A_HBT18243407.JPG Wairoa District Council received more than $11m of funds towards the districts Three Waters infrastructure. Photo / File
Wairoa District Council is to install smart meters, relocate water mains and hire four full-time staff members after receiving more than $11 million of funds towards the district's Three Waters infrastructure.
Hawke's Bay was granted a total of $50m from the Government's stimulus package towards projects across drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.
While Hastings District Council received the largest portion of the grant ($15.36m), Wairoa District Council (WDC) received $11.04m, which will go towards 16 projects ranging in value from $12,000 to $2.9m.
Following approval from the Department of Internal Affairs, the 16 projects will primarily focus on compliance, environmental sustainability and future proofing.
A total of $2.9m will be spent on the installation of smart meters in the Wairoa Township area, which will be installed at no cost to the ratepayer – new water tobys will also be connected to every property.
Each connection will have a back-flow preventer to help ensure safe, reliable drinking water.
A further $1.2m will go towards wastewater pipe relining, while relocating the Achilles St water main will cost $1m.
WDC group manager community assets and services Stephen Heath said the Achilles St water main has been problematic for years, with the council having fixed leaks 50 times in the previous 10 years.
He said Wairoa recorded 52 per cent water loss in 2017 – one of the worst rates in New Zealand.
"Over the last two years, the council has made huge in-roads in understanding and reducing water loss to 20 per cent, which is a significant improvement," he said.
"We produce 90 million litres of water a month just for town - that's exclusive of Affco. Despite our improvements, we are still losing 18 million litres a month, or 20 per cent of what we produce."
Heath said they aim to get down to a 3 per cent water loss.
The region's grants form part of the Government's $761m to support the three waters reform and attempt to stimulate the economy following Covid-19.
Funding of about $400,000 has been tagged for dedicated pump-station generators to help the council align with National Policy Statements for freshwater management and sewer overflows, while $157,000 will go towards the Wairoa Sewer Network CCTV network.
A partnership with the Hawke's Bay Regional Council will see $180,000 for pipeline renewals to allow the town's water main to be moved and approximately $700,000 has been allocated for Opoutama wastewater scheme upgrades to address environmental loadings and consent limits being exceeded.
Of the remainder of the $50m, Napier City Council has received $12.51m, with Central Hawke's Bay District Council getting $11.09m.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little said the grant will fund the employment of four full-time staff for two years. Photo / Paul Taylor
Wairoa mayor Craig Little said the grant will also fund the employment of four full-time staff for two years.
"We know our infrastructure, like most of New Zealand, has been neglected because of lack of funds," he said. "We hope there will be operational savings by being smarter and more efficient, but we have to balance that against the increasing compliance costs.
"To deliver these projects will require more resources. We are trying to do as much as we can in-house to build capacity and capability and minimise outsourcing and the costs of professional service fees."
Heath said work must be underway by March 31, 2021, and completed by March 31, 2022.
