One of the Coromandel’s most iconic coastal communities now has access to safe and reliable water with less chance of water use restrictions during summer’s visitor surge.

Today marks the opening of the upgraded Hāhei Water Treatment Plant, celebrating an infrastructure milestone for the local community.

Deputy Mayor John Grant, pictured, officiated the event on Pa Road, unveiling a plaque to the plant that has been designed to comply with the Drinking Water Compliance Rules now and into the future.

Apart from the 150 properties connected to the Council supply the plant also makes available safe, sustainable and reliable water to the Hāhei Water Supply Association that has 171 properties not previously connected to Council supply.

Deputy Mayor Grant says the opening marks a significant milestone for Hāhei, bringing to fruition years of work and collaboration to provide safe, reliable water to the area.

The new plant also represents a commitment to the wellbeing of our communities, ensuring every household, business and visitor has access to safe, reliable drinking water for decades to come, says Deputy Mayor Grant.

Up until now, these Hāhei properties have been accessing water privately through the association. However, ongoing increased demand - particularly during summer - and Government reform have presented significant challenges for the small coastal community.

Council’s water plant upgrades have been included in recent Long Term Plans and, since 2016, our Council has been working with the association to help integrate their supply to provide safe and reliable delivery of water while also catering for the extra demand that meets new Government standards.

“This is more than a water treatment plant. It is an investment in our future,” Deputy Mayor Grant says.

The plant has been designed to provide a flexible supply to cater for future growth to match population expansion to 2045 and beyond.

Thames-Coromandel District Council project manager Ian Smith says there were concerns with scarcity of water from the existing bore sources in Kotare Reserve.

“It was imperative we find another source to provide a greater capacity of water and help to futureproof water delivery for the Hāhei community.

The plant draws on the bore opposite 169 Hāhei Beach Rd, approximately 1.4km out of town, which – on its own – can provide almost 700m3/day compared to 300 to 350 out of the two Pa Rd bores which fed the Association’s and Council supply.

The new bore will help protect the coastal aquifer that many, including the local camping ground, rely on.

The Hāhei upgrades follow completed upgrades to the district’s other water treatment plants at Whitianga, Tairua, Pāuanui, Coromandel Town, Onemana and Whangamatā over the past seven years. Matarangi Water Treatment Plant is expected to be upgraded in the new year as the last in the series.

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