See where Wellington’s water comes from

Ever wondered where our drinking water comes from? What makes it safe to drink?

Greater Wellington Regional Council is offering the opportunity to see first-hand how Wellington’s bulk water supply system works, by offering guided tours at the Te Marua Water Treatment Plant on Saturday 17 May.

Members of the public can book in for a free tour to learn about the journey our drinking water takes, from the moment it falls as rain in the water catchment, to the high-quality water that comes out when we turn on our taps. Tours will explain how water is collected and will walk-through the treatment process at the plant. The past couple of years have seen increased public interest around water resources in the region and how the bulk water supply network operates.

Water Supply General Manager Chris Laidlow said that over 400 people have attended open days at the Te Marua and Wainuiomata treatment plants in the past year, with the tours proving popular with a broad range of people.

“Crowd favourites are usually the flocculation chambers and clarifier tanks, where dirt and other contaminants that can be found in river water are concentrated into small clumps then separated out from the water.”

“Kids especially love the sludge plant where the waste product from the process ends up and many plumbers come along just to admire our complex network of pipes!”

Tours will start every half hour from 10am to 3.30pm and will take around an hour. Each tour is limited to 20 people so bookings are essential.

Te Marua Water Treatment Plant facts:

The water treatment plant, pumping station and storage lakes at Te Marua were built between 1980 and 1987 to treat water taken from the Hutt River at Kaitoke
The plant treats around 60 million litres per day on average, most of this going to Upper Hutt, Manor Park, Stokes Valley, Porirua and the western suburbs of Wellington, as far south as Karori
Production from Te Marua accounts for just over 40 percent of our total supply volume in a typical year
The regional council provides water in bulk to our customers, the four city councils of Lower Hutt, Porirua, Wellington, and Upper Hutt.

Te Marua Water Treatment Plant – guided tours

Saturday 17 May 2014, 10am – 3.30pm
Te Marua Water Treatment Plant, Upper Hutt
Free, but bookings essential.
Maximum 20 people per tour.
Sorry, not suitable for people of limited mobility. Not recommended for children under 7, close parental supervision of children is required.

Bookings essential. To book:

ENDS

--

© Scoop Media