Drinking water costs spiral over $40m
The cost of keeping Christchurch’s drinking water safe has spiralled to almost $40 million – more than 25 times the city council’s initial estimate for chlorination and to fix vulnerable wells.
Christchurch City councillors have to find at least $35m to fix 49 pump stations, more than 40 times the original $840,000 budget for the work.
In addition, the controversial chlorination programme – which the council was told in January would cost $690,000 – has rocketed to $2.25m for the supply and installation alone.
Another $1.3m is budgeted for a year-long maintenance contract, beginning next month, bringing the cost of chlorination to more than $3.5m – five times the original estimate.
The budget blow-out was revealed to councillors in a report yesterday by strategy expert Helen Beaumont, who was parachuted in last week in a bid to get the city’s beleaguered drinking water improvements on track.
Money for the programme is likely to only be found by dipping into budgets reserved for years down the line.
The report appears to confirm that little work to repair any of the well heads at the city’s 49 vulnerable pump stations has yet been carried out.
A $5m, 12-month project will repair seven pump stations, raising well heads and repairing those already above ground.
But it is not close to starting – work is out to tender for two of those pump stations and in the design stage for the remainder.
Council staff are still investigating the best ways to fix the remaining 42 compromised pump stations.