Big turn on at the bore

Published: 30 November 2022

Last Updated: 1 December 2022

Napier has two new low manganese bores feeding its drinking water network after today’s official opening of the A2 and A3 bores.

The bores are an integral part of ensuring Napier’s drinking water is kept clear and clean. Naturally occuring manganese reacts with chlorine to turn water murky, resulting in ‘dirty water’ issues for Napier’s community.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says bringing these bores online is an important part of the council’s extensive water works programme.

“It’s a great step, with a lot of hard work from our staff and contractors to get us to this point.  It’s been an important milestone to get these bores up and running in time for summer, when we may need them the most,” says Mayor Wise.

Napier has some of the highest summer water use in the country, in the past using up to 40 million litres of drinking water each day. To manage demand, a number of bores feed into the network depending on usage. With these new bores, previous elevated manganese bores will remain in standby unless a critical failure occurs. The new bores are capable of supplying about a quarter of the community’s water needs during warmer weather. The bores mean the network will have more resilience during peak-use times.

Each bore treatment plant has UV treatment and chlorination. The bores and treatment are compliant with the new standards set out by Taumata Arowai (water services regulator for Aotearoa). This is the first time Napier City Council has installed UV treatment within its supply.

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