New water treatment plant for Omori, Pukawa and Kuratau

Work is under way on a new water treatment plant for Omori, Pukawa and Kuratau.

The plant is located behind the Omori Community Hall and will be able to produce two million litres of drinking water per day, with capacity for future expansion.

Project manager Elijah May says the new plant will give the community a more resilient water supply that meets the New Zealand drinking water standards.

“The communities that this treatment plant will serve are all quite isolated, so it is extremely important that the plant is able to withstand natural disasters. With this in mind we’ve designed it to an extremely high seismic performance requirement.

"Our contractor Marshall Projects has installed 58 sheet piles driven down to 7m and the engineered foundation of the plant and equipment means everything will stay where it’s supposed to be during an earthquake! There is also a large permanent backup generator that can run the plant if there is no power.”

Tūrangi-Tongariro councillor Sandra Greenslade says the new plant will be a major upgrade from the existing treatment process.

“This new plant will have a state-of-the-art membrane filtration system, UV treatment and monitoring equipment so our team can keep everything working perfectly. I know over the years residents have struggled with the taste and smell of the water from time to time, and although in no way was the water harmful, some days it was just not pleasant. This will solve all that. Those submitting to our recent Long-term Plan consultation asked us to 'please stick to the basics!' so we are doing just that for the people of Pukawa, Omori and Kuratau.”

The plant is expected to be completed in mid-2025.