$24 million Hastings water treatment and storage facility opens at Frimley with a blessing

Hastings councillors, staff and contractors gathered today for the opening of the Frimley water storage and treatment plant. Photo / Paul Taylor

After 18 months and $24 million, the Frimley water treatment and storage facility build is finished after struggling with Covid-related challenges, including material and labour shortages and delayed shipping.

Hastings District Council says the opening of the facility marks another “huge milestone” along its journey to ensuring safe, resilient drinking water.

The facility was opened with a blessing from a local kaumatua.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst attended the opening and said the effort that had been put into working with the community on finding a site suitable for such large infrastructure, followed by the massive project to get the facility built, “has been nothing short of incredible”.

The water tank, originally scheduled to be shipped directly from the United Kingdom, ended up taking a circuitous journey via Malaysia and Taiwan, affected firstly by the Suez Canal blockage and then Covid-related restrictions, adding months to the delivery date.

Hazlehurst explained that while the water tank is “huge”, it sits comfortably on its site and is surrounded by mature trees with architectural elements that help the tank meld into the landscape.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst inside the Frimley water treatment and storage facility. Photo / Paul Taylor

The mayor commended the council team and the contractors for doing such a “wonderful job.”

Following the blessing, councillors were guided through the 430 square metre water treatment plant building.

Frimley’s water treatment and storage facility is made up of 1500m of reticulation pipelines connected to three new water supply bores and can store up to 8,000,000 litres of water.

After viewing the new site, Hazlehurst said, “this technology is a legacy that council and the community have put in place that will provide our children and grandchildren with safe drinking water.”

The Hastings Drinking Water Strategy 2018 was developed following the Havelock North drinking water contamination.

A Havelock North pump station, along with eight small community drinking water facility upgrades and the Frimley water treatment and storage facility, were all completed in 2022, and new mains pipes have been placed between Havelock North and Hastings.

All but one of the major projects in the strategy have been completed. The Waiaroha water treatment and storage facility on Southampton St East would be the final piece of the puzzle and is due to be completed mid-way through 2023.