Work has begun this week on a major upgrade of the Dromore community drinking water supply.

The supply has 80 connections and the upgrade will add additional cartridge filtration and UV disinfection. The new equipment will be housed in a new block building, near the supply’s 102m deep well.

The upgrade is part of a $10 million package of work to ensure all of council’s 10 water supplies have a UV step, as required by new drinking water rules.

The Dromore upgrade is being undertaken by ARC Projects, who have also upgraded the Argyle Park, Mayfield and Hinds water treatment plants.

Group Manager of Infrastructure and Open Spaces said the Dromore work had just begun and has a value of about $740,000.

“ARC will be constructing the new building and installing the new equipment over the next few months, with work expected to be finished by December.

“It is one of our older and smaller supplies and we’re also adding two new reservoirs, which will double the volume of treated water able to be stored before distribution.”

Each reservoir holds 30,000 litres of water.

A new water main from the water treatment plant to distribute water to household connections is also planned.

Upgrades at Mayfield, Hinds, Rakaia, Tinwald and Argyle Park treatment plants have already been ticked off.

A new treatment plant at Chertsey is nearly complete, and the upgrade at Bridge Street is under way. Work at the Ashburton Domain water treatment plant will begin later this month.

Mr McCann said while new buildings had to be constructed at some plants, the UV equipment could be incorporated into existing buildings at Bridge Street and the domain.

The new Methven and Mount Somers water treatment plants already have UV equipment.