Gastro crisis spurs $12m water works
More than 5000 Havelock North residents became sick because of E coli in the water supply.
The Hastings District Council is set to spend more than $12 million upgrading its water network in the wake of the Havelock North gastro crisis.
About half of the money is earmarked for new treatment and filtering systems, with the council admitting last year’s contamination crisis had called into question its previous practice of providing untreated water.
More than 5000 Havelock North residents became sick last August after confirmation of the presence of E coli in the water supply.
The cause of the contamination – which occurred in one of three council bores on Brookvale Rd in Havelock North – is being investigated by a government inquiry panel, which is due to report its findings this month.
The proposed spending is outlined in a finance report prepared for a council meeting to be held on Monday. The report said the council was awaiting the outcomes of the government inquiry ‘‘before finally determining the best options for our communities’ water supplies in the future’’.
‘‘However, budget provision has been made to enable swift implementation of decisions’’.
The report said the council’s ‘‘approach to water supply management has changed dramatically in the last 12 months’’.
‘‘The aquifer contamination around the Brookvale No 1 bore that led to the Havelock North gastro outbreak has had a significant impact, taking two bores out of operation, and calling into question the historically favoured approach of providing untreated water.’’
On top of budgeting $5.75m for UV and filter treatment of water taken from urban Hastings bores, the council was setting aside $5m to replace the Brookvale bores with a new water source.
Additional funding was also required to upgrade some of the council’s smaller rural supplies, and to cover the costs of chlorinating the urban supply and stepping up the council’s water monitoring and testing regime.
The council said $2.66m of the proposed spend on water infrastructure upgrades was budgeted for in its long term plan before the Havelock North outbreak.
Meanwhile, the cost of reopening one of the Brookvale bores, following the installation of a UV treatment and filtration system, has jumped from $500,000 to $800,000. A separate report to Monday’s council meeting said equipment for the upgrade ‘‘had to be sourced from across the world as a matter of urgency’’.
Material was air-freighted in at additional cost so the plant could be commissioned as soon as possible. Work had been completed and the council was awaiting sign-off before supplying water from the bore.