Ranfurly residents are being asked to conserve water tomorrow and Thursday as Central Otago District Council switches from the town’s old water treatment plant to a new system.

The council does not expect water supply to be interrupted during the changeover but said reducing water use would help.

“To ensure the transition is smooth and the system remains stable, we are asking all residents to use water wisely on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 January,” the council said in a post on Facebook on Monday.

Residents are being asked to pause irrigation, including lawn and paddock watering, and to limit non essential water use such as car washing and high volume outdoor cleaning.

The council said keeping demand low would help crews complete critical connections and testing safely.

The Ranfurly notice follows a conserve water notice issued for Naseby in late December, which council said was a precautionary response to high demand on the town’s water network during peak summer use.

It also follows conserve water notices issued across several parts of the district in recent months after heavy rain increased sediment levels in surface water sources, placing pressure on existing treatment systems.

Ranfurly’s upgrade is part of a wider $4.2M council project that also includes improvements to the Patearoa water treatment plant. 

Instead of building new treatment plants at an estimated cost of approximately $21M for Ranfurly and $15M for Patearoa, the council opted for a more cost effective solution.

The upgrade includes cartridge filtration and ultraviolet treatment to provide a two-stage barrier against protozoa.

Read more: Water supplies still under pressure as upgrades roll out

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