South Wairarapa District Council’s Strategy Working Committee today deliberated and agreed that Greytown’s water supply treatment facility upgrade will be within Soldiers Memorial Park, increasing the resilience of the towns water supply.

Soldiers Memorial Park was one of the three options that the council and Wellington Water consulted with the community on earlier this year. The two alternative site options were the Kuratawhiti Street Area and the Old Council Borough Yard. The two alternates were shortlisted by Wellington Water following a thorough review of options, and investigation and assessment of potential alternative sites area using a Multi Criteria Analysis approach.

A total of 106 submissions were received where 69% preferred Soldiers Memorial Park, 19% Kuratawhiti Street Area and 15% Old Borough Council Yard.

The existing bore and water treatment facilities at Soldiers Memorial Park is the primary supply for Greytown. These assets are in very poor condition and need upgrading or replacement to ensure an ongoing reliable supply of safe and healthy drinking water, and to provide enough water for firefighting. Currently it is not possible to undertake maintenance of the existing pump or bore without disrupting water supply to Greytown. Without regular maintenance the bore is at an increased risk of failure.

During the deliberations, committee members addressed the concerns of the submitters, including potential noise from the bore, and general consideration of water storage. Wellington Water technical experts present at the deliberations confirmed that the new bore pumps would be submersed below ground, dampening the sound.

Greytown Councillor Alistair Plimmer acknowledged that this was the second time that Council had consulted about this project but noted that this time, the community was provided a thorough proposal which considered other options alongside the existing location at Soldiers Memorial Park.

“It was important that Wellington Water went back to the drawing board to ensure the community and stakeholders had a range of options to consider when sharing their feedback about the future of Greytown’s water supply” shared Cr Plimmer.  

The next step will see Wellington Water and council officers bring back the final design and location within the park for approval in early 2025. The design will take into consideration the feedback received during the consultation that the bore to be placed in the park should be in keeping with the parks cultural and natural heritage and for the quiet enjoyment for park and campground users. 

ENDS

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