Water mains work to start

Hastings District Council works and services committee chairman Kevin Watkins

Installing a new mains water supply pipe between Hastings and Havelock North is a step closer, with Council last week approving a plan for managing the range of contracts required to build it.

Work on the new pipe is scheduled to start in February with a target date of December 2018.

Hastings District Council works and services committee chairman Kevin Watkins says the new mains pipe, which will eventually supply all of Havelock North's water from bores in Hastings, is another step on the way to ensuring the safety of the water supply.

"The time frame we have set ourselves to get this project done is very tight, but with the robust and streamlined procurement process we have set up today, we believe we can have the pipe in place by the next summer season, when demand is at its greatest," Kevin says.

"This project comes on the back of the laying of the new water main up Te Mata Rd which will assist with demand this summer, supported by some supply coming from the Hastings bore fields."

The new Hastings to Havelock North water main is one of the major steps in a comprehensive water strategy with a raft of improvements made to the district's water infrastructure. The objective of the strategy is to supply water that is safe and of sufficient quantity to meet demand, now and into the future. That includes closing down the Brookvale bore field in Havelock North.

The new 4.5km pipe will follow a path from Sylvan Rd to St Aubyn St, along Howard St to Georges Rd, then along Crosses Rd to Havelock North where it will be attached to the existing Karanema Dr water main. A new booster pump station will be built to improve supply to upper areas of Havelock North.

HDC's tenders subcommittee can now approve tenders for the project up to a combined value of $8.5 million. The mains and pump station project is expected to cost just under $10m.

The project will involve multiple contracts as the range of required skills and expertise will not be available from one company. Having contractors working on a number of fronts means that work can progress as fast as possible, Kevin says.