A massive new structure on the outskirts of Temuka will offer better resilience and fire-fighting capability on the town’s water network.

Construction of the new Reservoir for Temuka Township was completed at the end of March, following a 7 month construction project. Work is now underway to connect it into the town’s water network.

The Reservoir is an important part of water infrastructure resilience for Temuka, it offers three days storage of treated water to cover times when there is a complication with the current water source and offers significantly more on-demand water capacity when required for firefighting purposes.

Currently Temuka’s water comes from shallow bores at the Orari Reservoir. While this is sufficient for day-to-day functioning, a single water source may present challenges if the network experiences disruption.

Council Drainage and Water Manager Grant Hall, said that the increase in unpredictable weather meant it was important to build more resiliency into our water networks.

“The district is likely to experience more significant climate related events in the coming years,” he said.

“Heavy rain or emergency fire response can have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of water coming through the pipes. In this way, the Reservoir will act as a kind of insurance and will support the current infrastructure.

“It also means that we can work on Temuka water network without shutting down the whole supply. And the community benefits from investment in new technology that ensures the quality of water is always at the New Zealand drinking water standard.”

The 27 metre diameter Reservoir on McNair Road was constructed by Reliant Solutions Ltd. who also built the reservoir at Pleasant Point. It is made from glass-fused-to-steel, a material that prevents corrosion and lengthens the life of the product, and is constructed to account for the risk of snowfall, high wind and seismic activity.

The reservoir was constructed on site, building one layer at a time using a jack system. Both the aluminium dome and tank walls had to be hand bolted together and there are over 22,800 bolts in the structure.

Pleasant Point-Temuka Ward Councillor Paddy O’Reilly welcomed the project.

“This new build allows us to have some peace of mind,” he said.

“The Reservoir gives us about three days of back up and will support the town’s water supply in the times when we really need it.”

The Temuka Reservoir is expected to be fully up and running by the end of the March 2022.

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