Work on a critical new wastewater project, which is being 50% funded by Central Government, is underway along State Highway 2 between Flaxmere and Waipatu.
Hastings District Council says the completed project will create capacity for around 4,000 additional homes in multiple housing developments across the city and relieve pressure on parts of the water network that are at capacity.
In 2023, the Council prepared an Infrastructure Constraints Report, which identified wastewater as the most pressing infrastructure issue.
The project will be carried out in stages over the next two years.
The first two stages are the installation of a one-kilometre pipeline alongside State Highway 2, from the roundabout at Ōmahu Rd to Lyndhurst Rd, and the installation of a 470m pipeline along Bennett Road in Waipatu, both starting this month.
The entire project will result in 10 kilometres of new pipelines and two new pump stations.
Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst said the work was about ensuring critical infrastructure is future-proofed; to enable wastewater capacity where and when needed, in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
“Our investment in infrastructure as signalled through our Long Term Plan, is critical to manage ongoing housing intensification,” she said.
“Providing quality, sustainable wastewater infrastructure is an important part of that.”
This key wastewater upgrade project is supported by the Crown, which in 2022 allocated $18.5 million from the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to assist with the work, whicih has been budgeted at $36.3 million.
