Thursday 1 April 2010

Official opening for Waipahi Area Rural Stock Water Scheme

Clutha District Council is pleased to announce an official opening for the new Waipahi Area Rural Stock Water Scheme will be held Friday 23 April.

Council awarded Fulton Hogan Ltd a $1.43 million contract for the construction of the new scheme in May last year and formally commissioned the scheme on 26 March. 

Councillor Peter McPherson, who is Council’s District Assets Chairman and Council’s appointee on the Scheme Committee, will officially open the new scheme at 3pm on Friday at the Waipahi Water Treatment Plant on West Otago Road.

The new scheme is sourced from the Waipahi River to supply stock drinking water for the local farming area. It has the capacity to provide about 85 litres of water per hectare, per day over the area of benefit (west of Clinton).  

Council Projects Engineer Peter Ross said current resource consent conditions meant that the scheme had to stop taking water if the Waipahi River flow fell below 541 litres a second. This had occurred to date for short periods on three days during March. 

Mr Ross said the Scheme Committee has appealed this provision to the Environment Court and a mediation meeting has been set for May 17.

ENDS