Sewers nearly ready

Work on the Benhar and Tokoiti sewerage extensions is well under way and both schemes are expected to be fully operational early next year.

At the Clutha District Council's district assets committee meeting last week, council staff said the Benhar sewerage extension was due to be commissioned next month, while some Tokoiti properties were already connected to the Tokoiti scheme.

Council projects engineer Peter Ross said the extension at Benhar, north of Balclutha, appeared to be slightly under its budget of $1.3 million, while the scheme in Tokoiti might be slightly over its $710,000 budget.

Mr Ross said contractor Fulton Hogan was making good progress on the project in Benhar, despite delays due to poor weather in October which halted work for two weeks.

Work on the communal pumping station was well under way and 33 individual on-site pumping stations had been installed, he said.

Council district assets manager Jules Witt said community response to the contractor had been positive and, in turn, Fulton Hogan had been accommodating of property owners' individual concerns.

In Tokoiti, near Milton, contractor Adams Plumbing had completed most of the original project work, with a start being made on the additional properties in Tokoiti Rd.

Mr Witt said 26 of the 28 original properties (including the school) to be connected to the gravity reticulation had been and were operating, as is one of the six original properties served by pumps.

Two Tokoiti Rd properties are also connected.

He said work had been delayed by bad winter weather and by a greater ''length and complexity'' of individual property drainage required than estimated.