Hurunui District Council manages 17 water schemes with 26 water sources spread across a district of 8,641 km2. With around 14,000 residents, the district has the 6th lowest population density of any local authority in New Zealand.
In 2015, the Council commenced its journey towards protozoa compliance for its water schemes. Construction commenced in 2019/20. To date, 13 of the plants have been upgraded. A further two will be commissioned this month and the last one (excluding Balmoral) will be completed in early April.1 The plants utilise filtration, ultraviolet treatment and ultra-filtration methods for protozoa protection. The total cost of the project is $24 million.
The project was led by a newly established in-house project management office (PMO), reducing the need for external consultants. The project has demonstrated both the financial and non-financial benefits of establishing an in-house PMO. Accordingly, the team (now 4.8 FTE) are now responsible, not just for water projects, but also for roading, property and amenities projects.
Significant cost efficiencies have also been attained through combining three small treatment plants into a single plant, increased plant automation (which has reduced travel time and cost), and standardisation of componentry.
