Challenges of small town water supply upgrades: The Reefton experience
Annual Conference
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Aurecon was engaged by the Buller District Council to upgrade the drinking water supply for the township of Reefton, after it failed to meet the Drinking Water Standards New Zealand (DWSNZ), as required by the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2007 by 2014.
Upgrades required to meet the DWSNZ criteria included, amongst others, installing a cap around the existing supply well; installing a water treatment plant as there is currently no water treatment and lining the existing ageing open concrete reservoir and installing a covered roof over top of the reservoir.
An application was made for a subsidy from the Ministry of Health under the Capital Works Assistance Programme. However the approved amount was around 25% less than expected. This was due to discrepancies in population records and differing interpretations of what represents a capital component of a project.
This lower than expected funding was significant for this community, who have previously made it very clear the project should not proceed if it would result in a significant cost to the community. To deliver improvements to the water supply, our design approach had to be modified and compromises made in order to proceed in a manner affordable to Reefton.