Whanganui District Council completes $6m upgrades to water network

The Westway pipe bridge from Durie Hill to Putiki is one of the projects completed in Whanganui. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui's water infrastructure has been strengthened following the completion of a series of projects funded by central government.

More than $6m of funding was allocated to the Whanganui District Council as part of a nationwide $761m Three Waters stimulus and reform funding package for councils announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in July 2020.

The money went towards 800m of new pipes to improve resilience and ensure supply to critical assets such as the wastewater treatment plant and the airport.

The funding also helped with stormwater separation work.

The funding was designed to provide investment in critical water infrastructure and services and to help stimulate economic activity and jobs throughout the country.

The council received approval from the Department of Internal Affairs for the funding of seven water projects, two wastewater projects, and some stormwater projects, all of which have been completed to plan.

The council's senior stormwater engineer Kritzo Venter said the projects have built resilience into the three waters networks, reducing risk to service delivery in the future.

"Not only have we been able to renew many critical assets, effectively extending their useful life, but we've also done so in good time, reducing risk to the service as many of these projects weren't slated for completion until much later in the council's long term plan 2021-2031.

"The funding has allowed us to bring this work forward, freeing up resources for other projects and improving the network for residents now, and for our growing population in the future," Venter said.

"We would like to thank the public for their patience with the disruptions, most notably traffic management while we've been digging up and reinstating their roads. We would also like to thank local contractors and service providers for prioritising the works so we could deliver these to a high impact and on schedule."