Work should begin within a month on a new Roxburgh water treatment plant and pipeline, finally turning off the tap on the stream of "boil water" notices residents have long endured.
Both projects should be completed in about six months, Central Otago District Council capital works programme manager Peter Greenwood said yesterday.
Roxburgh Community Board chairman Stephen Jeffery said pumping treated water to Lake Roxburgh through the new pipeline between the plant and the Lake Roxburgh reservoir should mean a significant improvement to the village water supply and eliminate "boil water" notices in the village.
"It'll be novel to turn the tap on and be able to drink the water straight from the tap," said Phil Winterbottom, of Lake Roxburgh Lodge.
"We probably spend more time on 'boil water' than not," Mr Winterbottom said.
It would be a red-letter day for the village when the treatment plant and pipeline were completed, he said.
"When it's finally up and running, the rest of Central Otago will be able to hear the cheer that goes up here," Mr Winterbottom said.
Water problems stemmed back at least a decade. Mr Greenwood said "boil water" notices were issued whenever Lake Roxburgh was discoloured. The new Health Department drinking water standards "lowered the trigger" for "boil water" notices, so they were issued more often.
The water treatment plant and pipeline were separate projects, but should be completed at the same time. The plant will cost about $472,000, with a Ministry of Health subsidy providing $370,000.
The pipeline is estimated to cost about $600,000. The community was recently consulted about the project and supported it. Construction of a new pipeline was a more cost-effective solution to Lake Roxburgh's water problems than building a second treatment plant at Lake Roxburgh, Mr Jeffery said.
"The savings on operational costs from running a single plant will offset loan repayments on the new pipeline."
When the treatment plant is completed, the water supply will be the first in the district to meet new drinking water standards. It will improve the supply's public health grading from an "E" to a "C".
The plant will be built on council land, north of the town, next to the existing bore field.
It will replace the existing facility, which is next to the Roxburgh reservoir.
