26 Apr 2018

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Council makes decisions about well head upgrades, Kilmore Street improvements, and Southshore bund work.

Council agrees on approach to well head work 

A mix of options for upgrading the security of Christchurch’s groundwater supply will be pursued so the city’s drinking water can return to its natural, unchlorinated state as soon as possible.

The Council decided earlier this year to temporarily treat Christchurch’s water with chlorine because the state of the some of the below ground well heads meant the city’s groundwater supply had lost its “provisionally secure” status.

Today the Council resolved that its preferred approach to improving well head security was to raise well heads above ground wherever practicable.

It also agreed that staff should examine options for installing UV treatment at a number of pump stations where the Council may not be able to get secure status.

Staff will bring another report to Council next month which will map out a draft programme for completing the work that needs to be done to upgrade the water supply network.

Kilmore Street upgrade approved

A scheme design for upgrading Kilmore Street, between Colombo and Durham streets and a small section of Durham Street North near Kilmore Street, has been approved. 

The upgrade is phase one of planned works on Kilmore Street and is programmed to be done by the time work on the restoration of the Town Hall is completed.

The proposed phase two project involves turning Kilmore Street from a one-way street to a two-way street. The timing of the two-waying will be confirmed through the Long Term Plan (LTP) process and the project will include public consultation.

Southshore bund work deferred

Work on building a temporary bund in the area between Bridge Street and the South Brighton jetty has been deferred.

The work was approved by the Council last October as a short-term, temporary measure to reduce the risk of properties in the area flooding. However, since then more detailed hydraulic modelling has been done which suggests the flooding risk is significantly lower than indicated by early analysis.

Today, the Council decided it would progress the extension of the Avon River stopbanks for 185m within the immediate vicinity of Bridge Street but it would defer work on the bund from Bridge Street to the jetty. 

The money set aside for the bund work will be redirected towards other high priority projects in the Land Drainage Recovery Programme.