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Head of servicing and consents Mark Bourne said Watercare is not “standing still” in securing long-term future sources for the region. “Our Waikato River resource consent application identifies 156 alternative water supply options. This includes the option to build a dam in Riverhead Forest, using land we already own,” he said.
David White/Stuff
Dams in Auckland’s Waitākere ranges dipped below 50 per cent capacity last April, and now Watercare is exploring how to secure water for the future. “Our next step is to confirm the source for the dam, the volume of water the dam will provide; the designation and consenting requirements; and investigate the likely cost.”
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A new $145 million Watercare water treatment plant in Tuakau will from tomorrow provide Auckland with up to 50 million litres of water a day from the Waikato River.
The facility is part of a $224m package approved by the Auckland Council last year to boost the city s water supply as part of its drought recovery response.
An aerial shot of Watercare s new Tuakau water treatment plant.
Photo: Supplied via LDR
The Watercare project was delivered in collaboration with Beca, Fletcher Construction and Fulton Hogan.
It includes a new temporary water treatment plant and a pipeline from the Waikato River, as well as a pumping station.
Watercare chief executive Jon Lamonte said the new plant will provide a safety net for the city in case the weather is drier than forecasters predict. “At the moment, forecasters are predicting a normally-wet winter and a slightly drier-than-normal spring. Our Waikato ‘A’ plant provides a bit of extra security in the event the weather turns out to be much drier than predicted over a prolonged period,” Lamonte said. “The Waikato ‘A’ plant has been on our agenda for more than a decade – part of our plan to meet Auckland’s growing population – but we’ve brought the first stage of it forward in response to the drought.”