New water intake to improve Kerikeri supply
A new water intake screen to be installed in the Puketotara Stream will lower maintenance costs for ratepayers and improve the ecosystem for freshwater fish and eels.
New technology will mean lower maintenance costs for ratepayers and a less disrupted water supply for Kerikeri consumers when a new water intake is fitted to infrastructure at Puketotara Stream near Kerikeri.
The current intake requires manual maintenance and cleaning – a medium-risk manual operation requiring removal of silt and river debris from the mechanism on a regular basis. The new system is essentially self-cleaning with a backwash function that blows air down into the intake cylinder to dislodge and remove obstructions on the screen surface. This will be particularly important following heavy rains when the stream is impacted by silt and debris.
The new intake screen will also create a calmer environment for freshwater fish and eels, improving the ecosystem and resulting in water extraction that exceeds compliance standards under the council’s resource consent.
The new screen, to be fitted in September, operates at a lower suction velocity of 0.15 m/s, so won’t draw the same volume of water across the stream, making it less likely to interfere with the stream’s ecosystem and the fish and eels that live there.
Installation of the new water intake screen is being co-funded by the council and the Department of Internal Affairs.
Video credit: Aqseptence Group