New $2.8M water treatment plant for Far North settlement of Omanaia

The Far North settlement of Omanaia will get a new $2.8 million water treatment plant this year.

The tiny Far North settlement of Omanaia will get a new $2.8 million water treatment plant built this year.

The Far North District Council has contracted Broadspectrum NZ to build a new water treatment plant in Omanaia after what it says was a competitive and open tender process.

The total projected budget for construction and commissioning is $2.8 million. The project's cost has been heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Health which has contributed $2.3 million of the total.

Broadspectrum will begin construction of the plant, about 30km southwest of Kaikohe, in January 2019 and expects the project to be completed by the end of August. At the request of local hapu, the construction will commence with karakia and a blessing of the site.

The plant is good news for Omanaia residents connected to council water supplies who have for many years been supplied raw, or untreated, water from the pipeline before it reached the treatment plant at Rawene. The council has applied a permanent Boil Water Notice to these Omanaia households.

Far North District Council infrastructure project delivery manager Paul Carr said the new water treatment plant is going to be built near the Petaka Stream, currently the source of all the water for Rawene.

''We'll treat the water right at the source, allowing treated water to then flow out to residents of both communities," Carr said.

Community representatives and hapu supporting the project were unified in requesting that the council approve the awarding of the contract.

■ About water treatment: Raw water is sourced from either streams or aquifers via bores. It is treated to remove solids and organic matter, filtered and dosed to kill pathogens and protect it in the reticulation network. The fully treated water is then stored in reservoirs for community supply.