36 | REGIONAL Whangārei District Council Building Futures in Civil Construction Delivering specialised services throughout Te Tai Tokerau Northland Utility Installatons • Water Solutions • Civil Infrastructure • Renewable Energy sales@northdrill.co.nz 0800 167 916 LET’S KORERŌ northdrill.co.nz Future-proofing city’s water network The project delivers improved water pressure, greater reliability, and increased capacity for residents and businesses across Te Kamo, Tikipunga, and surrounding communities. T T Kelly Deeks “While Whangārei continues to grow, this upgrade helps ensure residents and businesses continue receiving reliable water pressure. We’ve replaced ageing infrastructure with modern materials designed to perform for at least another 50 to 100 years.” Whangārei’s growing population is driving significant investment in essential infrastructure, with Whangarei District Council’s $1.5 million Station Road Trunk Main Upgrade strengthening the district’s water network for decades to come. The project delivers improved water pressure, greater reliability, and increased capacity for residents and businesses across Te Kamo, Tikipunga, and surrounding communities, while ensuring the network is ready to support future growth. Project manager, Nathan Beuker, says extensive quality assurance work is necessary before the new pipeline is commissioned, including pressure testing and hygiene procedures to ensure it meets New Zealand’s drinking water standards. ”The testing is about guaranteeing the pipeline will withstand the maximum pressure from large reservoirs on either side of the new pipe and that water quality meets the level of service expected before it becomes a part of the network,” he says. The project replaced a 50-year-old Trunk Main that was 1.2km long and 250mm wide. The old pipe made of concrete was upgraded with a new, larger 355mm pipe made from durable, crack-resistant high-density polyethylene. The larger pipeline provides greater capacity and more consistent water pressure for a district expected to continue growing over the coming decades. “We’re future proofing the network,” Nathan says. “While Whangārei continues to grow, this upgrade helps ensure residents and businesses continue receiving reliable water pressure. We’ve replaced ageing infrastructure with modern materials designed to perform for at least another 50 to 100 years.” Rather than relying on traditional open trench construction, the project used horizontal directional drilling, allowing the new pipeline to be installed underground while reducing disruption to traffic, nearby businesses, and residents. Although the technique minimises surface disruption, the work beneath the ground presented a series of unexpected challenges. Nathan says crews encountered an extraordinary variety of ground conditions and obstacles including clays, existing assets, and sections of keystone lava columns. “In one stretch, the team had to drill through red, grey, and yellow clay, and every soil type behaves differently. We also struck volcanic rock towards Te Kamo, which meant we had to source a specialised rock drill because our existing equipment wasn’t capable of getting through it.” The constantly changing soil types slowed progress in some sections because the drilling fluid had to match the ground conditions. This resulted in the team having to frequently stop and start, changing the drilling fluid so that the right type was used in the right areas. Another benefit of the project was the opportunity to support local industry, with the council working alongside Northland-based contractors and specialist local engineering companies whenever possible. Nathan says contractor North Drill consistently rose to every challenge and maintained strong communication with council staff, residents, and businesses throughout the project. “North Drill has done an outstanding job. There were plenty of unforeseen challenges, but the team responded to every one of them professionally and their interaction with the community has been excellent. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of.” The Station Road Trunk Main Upgrade is one of a series of water infrastructure projects planned across the district as council maintains a strong water distribution network for Whangārei. “This is about preparing our infrastructure for the future,” Nathan says. “We’ve got numerous water projects planned over the coming years to make sure our network keeps pace with growth. We’d like to thank everyone in the community, and especially the residents for their patience throughout this project. Construction is never convenient, and we’ve worked hard to minimise disruption while delivering infrastructure that will benefit Whangārei for generations.”
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