The upgrade of the Mataura water treatment plant has notched up a major milestone.
The Gore District Council had commissioned its first refurbished filter, so the water supply now complies with New Zealand drinking water standards.
A new automation system was also recently brought online for the $3.5 million project.
Gore District Council Three Waters asset manager Matt Bayliss said the plant’s upgrade was progressing well. The upgrade included installing an ultraviolet (UV) system, replacing and upgrading the old pipework, pumps and other mechanical equipment, and modernising all the electrical controls.
"The existing treatment plant almost met national drinking water standards. Now, with the first of two filters refurbished, we are meeting those standards.
"The UV treatment will provide an extra layer of protection over and above the minimum requirements."
The upgrade would also ensure the plant met current chemical storage and health and safety requirements, he said.
Work would now begin to upgrade the second filter, which involved the filter being decommissioned for six to eight weeks.
"We expect the plant will keep up with water supply demand given we are in our typically low-demand period, and there weren’t any issues during refurbishment of the first filter. However, if demand starts exceeding what we can treat, we may have to ask residents to conserve water.
"There will also be work where we need to shut down the treatment plant for short periods, say up to eight hours.
"During this time, we will be using treated water stored in our reservoirs. Consequently, we aren’t expecting any impact on the supply to residents."
Mr Bayliss said the council would notify residents via social media when any work might affect the water supply.
Work started on site last November and is expected to be completed by October this year.
