| 71 T T Virginia Wright Making better use of region’s water Construction on the $2.7million Waingawa Water Project started in June 2024, with an expected completion date of July 2025. Carterton District Council: Waingawa Process Water INFRASTRUCTURE Businesses in the Waingawa Industrial area, which lies on the Carterton side of the border between Masterton and Carterton, have historically used Masterton’s water for processes that need it, but by midyear, thanks to a Carterton District Council initiative, they could be using local process water, which is untreated water not suitable for drinking. Construction on the $2.7million Waingawa Water Project started in June 2024, with an expected completion date of July 2025. It uses a water race that’s been in service for over 100 years, complete with a small storage dam, taking water from Waingawa Rriver and channeling it to stock throughout the Carterton District. “The project involves building a new pump station to take the water from the existing dam to an existing concrete storage tank we’re repurposing to suit, and from the tank to a new reticulated pipe network in the Waingawa Industrial area, which is independent of Carterton’s drinking water network,” explains the council’s infrastructure services manager Johannes Ferreira. Sitting behind the project is the idea of protecting the present and future industrial water supply for those who use it. Currently, this includes a transport hub, a couple of timber manufacturing plants, and a composting plant among others, with additional land poised for development. There is an obvious environmental benefit with treated, drinkable water no longer being used unnecessarily, and beyond that, fundamental to the council’s rationale for initiating the project is its potential to encourage economic development. “Providing the Waingawa industrial area with untreated water for its processes, whether it’s to create steam, or for cleaning, or whatever it might be, reduces the cost of the water to those industries,” says Johannes. “Given that the cost of treated water is going up and is anticipated to go up even more with the new regulations, the council believe it’ll become increasingly attractive and bring more businesses into the area. Nothing’s been finalised, but the cost of the process water initially could be less than 50% of the cost of the drinking water industrial users are currently paying for, depending on the council’s final decision. This project isn’t about the financial bottom line, it’s about the broader economic outcomes for the district.” Until now, during the summer if there are water restrictions in Masterton they get passed on to the industrial area. When the Waingawa Water Project is finished, instead they will have a 2500m3 cubic meter buffer of untreated water against drought restrictions. The council hopes that having that security of supply for water that is already cheaper because it is untreated will attract new businesses to the area. “It’ll have a bottom-line effect on all businesses that use water as part of their process, especially things like horticulture or hydroponics, and any new business will help to stimulate the economy,” says Johannes. With industry comes job opportunities for households, which brings additional revenue into the district, which in turn has a flow-on affect for all the existing local businesses whether they are supermarkets or cafés. This knock-on potential for community growth comes from a forward-thinking elected council’s decision to offer businesses a very real economic advantage to entice more people in to enjoy everything this township nestled in the heart of the Wairarapa has to offer. Experts in Civil Construction inWairarapa G&CDiggers Ltd is a well-established, locally owned and operated civil construction company. We focus on both domestic and commercial projects, handling all types of construction works in and around theWairarapa.
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