A long-awaited multimillion-dollar upgrade of the water and wastewater systems at Mapua, near Nelson, is set to get under way in June.
Burst water mains and sewage overflows have long plagued the residents of the growing seaside village, 32km west of Nelson. Sewage overflows have even forced the closure at times of Mapua School.
Donaldson Civil has been awarded the contract by Tasman District Council to complete the $6.2 million (SGD 5.6 million) project, which includes replacement of the existing fragile pipeline with a new, larger water main and an upgrade of the wastewater system.
Council programme delivery manager Russell McGuigan this week told councillors there would be a “good, active communication programme” to keep affected people up to date with the project.
“There’s a lot of properties we’re going to go past,” McGuigan said. “We’ve got lots of meetings set up with the community groups and also the businesses before the project starts to keep them well informed.”
Council information reveals the work is due to begin at Mapua Wharf before moving along Aranui Rd and Stafford Drive.
Tipped to start mid-June, the project is expected to take more than a year to complete, finishing at the end of 2020. However, the work is scheduled to stop in December and not resume until mid-April, during the busy holiday season. Any work outside Mapua School is set to take place during school holidays.
As well as the installation of a new water main from Mapua Wharf to Pine Hill Rd, the project includes the laying of a new wastewater pipe from Mapua Wharf to Ruby Bay.
In addition, the wastewater pump station at 72 Stafford Drive will be refurbished along with an upgrade of the pump station at 102 Aranui Rd, including the installation an underground emergency storage tank and odour control. The installation of odour control is also planned for the Ruby Bay pump station as well as a “tidy up” of the area around it.
