Published on 04 October 2023
Maheno was officially connected to the Oamaru Water Supply on Monday, meaning more than 80 households in the township are now supplied with water that meets the NZ Drinking Water Standards.
The Maheno Water Committee volunteers had done a great job owning, operating and maintaining the supply over many years.
However, the new Water Services Act 2021 and tougher standards made this increasingly complex, challenging and costly - making it unsustainable for them to continue.
Following a request from the Committee, Council took over ownership and management of the supply on 1 July.
Since then, our contractor SouthRoads, have been operating the supply while also constructing a new pipeline to connect Maheno to the Oamaru supply via the ‘Hamnak’ pipeline, which supplies water from Oamaru south to Moeraki.
After successful pressure testing last Friday, staff were given the all-clear to switch the supply over on Monday. Waitaki District Council now looks forward to supplying the Maheno community with safe, reliable drinking water for many years to come.
Mayor Gary Kircher says, “It’s a sign of the times that the health standards, the environmental standards and the costs of providing drinking water supplies have all increased significantly. That has caused water schemes such as Maheno to seek Council help, despite their committee’s wonderful strong history of self-reliance and maintaining good standards. I’m pleased our team has been able to step up and provide this service when they needed it most.”
ENDS