Whakatāne District Council owns and operates nine water supply schemes:
Whakatāne/Ōhope
All water for the Whakatāne and Ōhope urban areas is pumped from the Whakatāne River, just upstream of Whakatāne town, to a water treatment plant at the southern end of Valley Road. Treatment processes include coagulation, pH correction, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection and fluoridation.
Treated water is pumped to three reservoirs on the hill above the treatment plant then reticulated to the Whakatāne and Ōhope urban areas via about 240 km of water pipes. Reservoirs at Melville Drive, Ōtarawairere Road and Kowhai Street in Ōhope supply some of the higher areas of Whakatāne and Ōhope.
The installation of water meters for Whakatāne and Ōhope urban area was substantially completed in 1999, which has helped with best practice demand management philosophy.
Whakatāne Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 5.2 MB)
Otumahi
The Otumahi water supply scheme sources water from bores on Tahuna Road and Paul Road to supply Te Teko, Edgecumbe and some of the rural areas between.
At the Tahuna Road site, water is treated and disinfected via cartridge filters, chlorine and ultra-violet light and pumped into a reservoir before being reticulated to customers.
At the Paul Road site, water is treated and disinfected via caustic dosing (for pH correction) and chlorine before being stored in a holding tank then pumped directly into the reticulation system based on pressure within the system.
Otumahi Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 2 MB)
Rangitāiki Plains
This scheme was established in the 1970s but underwent significant changes in 2017/18 when the Otumahi water supply scheme was established, including the removal of the Tahuna Road bore supply and boundary changes to stop supply to Edgecumbe and Te Teko.
Water is sourced from a spring on Braemar Road and two bores on Johnson Road. At Braemar Road, water is treated and pumped from the source to a reservoir above the road and gravitates into the supply zone. At Johnson Road, water is treated and boosts pressure to the reticulated system during peak periods.
The Rangitāiki Plains water supply scheme covers a vast area of the plains, with more than 80% of the water for rural and agricultural properties. It also supplies the Awakeri area and Whakatāne Airport.
Rangitāiki Plains Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 4.5 MB)
Matatā
The Matatā water supply scheme sources water from Jennings Spring, in the Manawahe Hills west of Awakaponga. Water from the spring flows into an enclosed concrete chamber and gravity feeds to a treatment plant, where it is chlorinated and disinfected via ultraviolet light.
A pumping station on State Highway 2 pumps water into two reservoirs on a hill behind Matatā. Water from the reservoirs is gravity fed into the reticulation system.
Te Mahoe
The NZ Electricity Department originally built this scheme to serve the hydro village. It included a bore, a reservoir and associated reticulation assets. The scheme was handed over to Council in the 1990s.
Council installed a new bore source, a water treatment facility housing cartridge filtration, a chlorination unit for disinfection and a set of pumps to service the existing reservoir.
Te Mahoe Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 2.31 MB)
Murupara Water Supply
The Murupara water supply scheme, established in the 1950s, is an untreated water supply.
Water from two free-flowing bores flows into a suction tank and is pumped to reservoirs then gravity fed to the reticulation system. The water from the bores is high quality although it tends to be acidic.
Murupara Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 5.66 MB)
Tāneatua
The Tāneatua water supply scheme sources water from two shallow bores on the southern bank of the Tauranga River, about 2 km from Taneatua town.
Water is chlorinated and disinfected via ultraviolet light at the bore site and pumped to two reservoirs on the hills east of Tāneatua then gravity fed into the reticulation system.
Tāneatua Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 2.79 MB)
Rūātoki
This water supply scheme was rebuilt in the early 1990s and designed for domestic use, following the decommissioning of farm use supplies developed in the late 1940s. Water is sourced from a shallow bore adjacent to a 'backup' filtration gallery extraction on the left bank of the Whakatāne River, south of Rūātoki.
Water is chlorinated and disinfected via ultraviolet light at a high lift pump station then pumped to a service reservoir above Paekoa Road and gravity fed to the reticulation system.
Rūātoki Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 5.8 MB)
Waimana
The Waimana water supply scheme was installed in the 1970s and sources water from a shallow bore sunk in gravel near the town.
Water is chlorinated and disinfected via ultraviolet light at the bore site then pumped to two reservoirs above Waimana before being reticulated throughout the town.
Waimana Public Water Supply - Water Safety Plan - (PDF, 5.44 MB)