The Waitaki District Council is improving the Weston supply to meet new drinking water standards by bringing water from the Oamaru water treatment station, itself subject to a $12 million upgrade completed in September, 2007.
The project involves installing pumps in a refurbished existing building at the Oamaru water treatment plant and constructing a 5.5km, 20mm pipeline across private property and along road reserve to the Weston reservoir.
Owners of 12 private properties through which the underground pipe will pass have given approval for the route, which will follow a power line from the Oamaru treatment plant to Airedale Rd, down Airedale Rd and then across private land to the reservoir.
The first phase is to lay pipe along Airedale Rd, which started last week and is expected to be finished by Christmas.
Work will then start on the rest of the pipeline and installation of the pumps.
Supply is expected to start in April.
The council looked at several options for improving the supply to Weston and Enfield, which at present draw water from the Kakanui catchment at Robb's Crossing.
The most expensive option was $2.4 million to provide individual treatment for both plants.
The pipeline using Oamaru water was the cheapest option for the 1750 people who consume Weston water.
It will also have the capacity to meet the projected demand out to 2045, including that created if Holcim (New Zealand) builds a new cement plant near the town.
A decision on how to supply Enfield is still to be made, but the cheapest option is to also connect it to the Oamaru supply by using existing pipes and pumps.
The council's water and wastewater manager, Martin Pacey, said the new supply would be paid for by Weston consumers, with the area becoming a zone of the Oamaru water supply.
Because more people were using the Oamaru treatment plant, the water rate for Oamaru consumers would fall, but Weston would pay more for the work involved.
"It will increase the cost per unit of water for Weston, but the benefit is A grade water," he said.
What the difference would be would depend on the decision made for Enfield's supply, and would be set during the 2010-11 annual plan process.
