34,000 meters of water pipes cleaned in Huntly

More than 34,000 meters of pipes in Huntly were flushed using a specialised unit called NO-DES (Neutral Output Discharge Elimination System), operated by Detection Services. 

“To put it into context, if you were to drive 34,000 meters on the expressway, you’d go from the Taupiri BP to the Hampton Downs turn off,” says Waikato District Council Waters Manager, Keith Martin. “The work took place over three weeks and we are very happy with how it has gone.” 

Huntly gets its water from the Waikato river, below the Mangawara stream in Taupiri. This stream has high levels of manganese and the dissolved minerals build up in the pipes. This can cause the water to look brown. Even though it’s safe to drink, we know the colour of the water is off-putting for people, says Martin. 

In addition to the NO DES unit, Council has been undertaking a programme of work to improve the water supply in Huntly, including upgrading water lines and flushing the pipes more regularly. 

“The NO-DES unit uses a reverse flow to scrub sediment build-up off the pipes. Based on the results of the flushing and the amount of sediment captured in the filters, we should see major improvements in water quality for Raahui Pookeka residents. This will significantly improve the level of service for Huntly and we should see a reduction in complaints about brown water.”

Based on information learned during this operation, Council will contract the NO-DES unit again in January with a more targeted approach and make a number of other network improvements to improve the networks performance.