Nearly four years of work came to fruition on Monday 9 September with the official opening of the new permanent Lockerbie Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The opening marks one of the final significant steps towards the establishment of a more secure water supply for Morrinsville.

The new permanent WTP complements the existing plant at Waterworks Road. According to Council’s Water and Wastewater Manager, Karl Pavlovich, “having more than one water treatment plant means the load can be shared. It’s similar to Matamata where we have options.”

At the opening, Mayor Adrienne Wilcock acknowledged the critical nature of the new asset. “Drinking water is a vital component of our daily lives and this creates greater resilience for the town. I’m really proud that we’ve managed to get this done. We have been talking with the community about increasing the resilience of the Morrinsville water supply since 2019 and it’s really good to have progressed from the temporary plant to what we have now.”

The opening was a blend of two cultures, with a ribbon cutting by the Mayor and a blessing conducted by mana whenua. Our Pou Tuhono / Iwi Relationship Manager Tuatahi Nightingale-Pene explained that “the blessing is about making sure the facility operates at its best, and also keeping the kaimahi (workers) safe.”

Replacing the temporary Water Treatment Plant that has been in service since late 2023, the new permanent WTP was funded as part of the 2021-31 Long Term Plan. The plant is supplied from a 45m deep bore hole in the north east of Morrinsville, which is consented to take up to 4 million litres of water per day from. This enables us to produce around half of Morrinsville’s water demand.

While the additional water supply provides greater water security, it does not mean the end to water restrictions. “We don’t have access to unlimited water. Our consents (with Waikato Regional Council) limit the amount of water we can take, and that’s why limiting its use will continue to happen when there’s a need to lower water demand,” says Pavlovich.

“Water’s a precious resource. Restrictions are part of Council’s overall water management strategy and are used to manage water demand at peak times of the year. However, we will be aiming to manage our water supplies to minimise level 3 and 4 restrictions in future.”

Work to connect existing infrastructure to the new Lockerbie plant and subdivision continues, with Council upgrading the water main and pipework at the intersection of Coronation Road, Snell Street and Studholme Street and should be completed by the end of October.

Investment in the district’s water and wastewater infrastructure will continue, with wastewater projects a major focus of the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan. Work has already started on the new Matamata Wastewater Treatment Plant, and there will be wastewater upgrades in Te Aroha, Morrinsville and Tahuna over the next five years.