The Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company began work to build an $800,000 buffer pond at Ferry Rd, in Papakaio, in May and company chairman Chris Dennison said most of the work to create the pond would be complete in the next three weeks.
"We want to have it ready for September 1 and we are on target for that. Actually, the dry winter meant that the earthmover finished two weeks ahead of schedule."
The pond will hold 120,000cu m of water. Mr Dennison said it would improve the efficiency of the Lower Waitaki Irrigation scheme.
The pond would reduce by-wash and reduce the amount of water that spills into the sea.
"It will help with our efficiency and allow us to provide water to 2500ha of land," he said.
"We are encouraging our farmers to be more efficient with their water use, so we need to capture that, too."
