Plans to extend Lawrence's sewerage infrastructure, which were endorsed late last year, may be reconsidered after officials failed to get the minimum connection numbers to go ahead with the project.
This week's Lawrence-Tuapeka Community Board meeting heard the planned extension on the eastern side of the town had attracted only two new connections when the board had agreed it needed at least four to proceed.
Last November, the board approved the upgrade as a way to encourage future development in the growing township.
Altering the alignment of the scheme encouraged two more property owners to confirm connections but this change increased the overall cost of the upgrade from $119,000 to more than $180,000.
This would have meant those four connections would pay a lot more, Clutha District Council water services manager Hank Stocker said in a report.
It was probably unrealistic to offset the increase in the project cost by raising the additional unit connection charge to be levied, he said.
Support for the project was confined to properties at or near the far end of the planned new sewer main. No interest had come from owners along State Highway 8, and the new pipeline would run several hundred metres "past empty sections whose owners have no immediate desire to connect or contribute", Mr Stocker said.
The board now had to consider whether it should look at bankrolling the bulk of the cost, in the hope of stimulating future development, or deferring the project until there was more interest.
