Watercare’s new $16 million Warkworth water treatment plant will double the town’s capacity and cater for population growth for years to come.
Located at Sanderson Road and opening in spring, it will deliver drinking water from underground aquifers instead of the Mahurangi River.
Rodney Local Board Chair Beth Houlbrooke is impressed with the technology.
“Passers-by won’t see much of the water treatment process because it’s mostly underground. The plant draws water from two bores that go 180-220 metres down.
“The area around the pipes is a protected site, not open to farmland, and the pipes are sealed so there is no risk of contamination.
"UV filters help disinfect the water and with chlorination, residents will receive the highest Aa grade water.”
Residents could notice a change in the taste of their water. Treatment lowers iron and manganese levels to well below New Zealand’s Drinking Water Standards guidelines, but residual natural minerals may give it a distinctive flavour.
Watercare has consent to draw 3000 cubic metres (3 million litres) of water a day and residents will have the opportunity to tour the plant and talk to staff before it opens.
