NPDC: Inglewood water running clear after $10 million project

New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom. Photo/ Supplied

After $10 million and three years of hard work by New Plymouth District Council (NPDC), Inglewood's water is running clear again.

The long-standing issue of discoloured water coming out of the town's taps has been resolved, with one-third of Inglewood's water pipes replaced and the project coming in under budget.

Minerals were settling on the bottom of pipes and then being stirred up when they were flushed as part of maintenance. Adding to the problem was the age of the pipes and their cast iron composition.

During the project, long-lasting plastic pipes have replaced 74 per cent of the asbestos concrete pipes, 97 per cent of cast iron pipes and 90 per cent of steel pipes in Inglewood.

In all, 15 kilometres (33 per cent) of pipes have been replaced and the number of pipes in very poor condition has been reduced from 24 per cent to just 6 per cent. The final project cost is expected to be $10.6m, below the planned $10.9m.

"Our people have a right to expect safe, high quality drinking water from council," says New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom.

"Fixing Inglewood's discoloured water is a major project, as we tackle the district's water woes by investing $248 million over the next decade to fix the plumbing.

"It's required careful planning, a lot of coordination with residents and businesses, and the patience of locals when their streets were disrupted during construction," he says.

"The number of complaints about brown water in the town is almost zero and that is exactly the result we are working towards for locals who have had to endure the issues for a very long time."

In October last year, two $18m water reservoirs on Henwood and Mountain roads were completed, adding the equivalent of 36,000 full bathtubs to the supply for Bell Block, Waitara, Lepperton and further north.

For detailed information on the project please visit: https://www.npdc.govt.nz/media/wkcb2yji/strategic-projects-committee-agenda-23-february-2022.pdf