Turangi water main upgrade complete

The Turangi water mains renewal programme has been completed ahead of schedule, despite restrictions around COVID-19 and associated disruptions to the supply chain.

A total of just over 7km of water pipes of varying diameters have been installed throughout the Taupahi Road area and more than 280 residential connections have been replaced.

Network operations engineer Paul Pettman said the new water mains made the Turangi water supply much more resilient and thanked the contractor Nolans Drainage for a job well done.

"This was a really big project with a lot of challenges," he said. "There was a lot of loose rock found in localised areas that had to be navigated while installing the underground pipes. The team had to revert to open cut trenching instead of drilling in the worst areas.

"We'd like to thank the local residents for their patience and understanding throughout the entire project. The total budget for this upgrade was $1.9 million, and we are currently in the planning stages of further upgrades to the water infrastructure in the industrial area of Turangi."