Water Treatment Plant opens its doors to the public

The Hamilton Water Treatment Plant will be opening its door to the public next Saturday [30 October] for the first time in over a decade. Run in partnership with Oxfam Water for Survival, the Water Treatment Plant Open Day will be an opportunity for residents to gain insight into the processes that go into treating the city’s water supply, meet some of the staff who work at the treatment plant, and ask questions.

Held from 10am-3pm, the Open Day will see 30-40 minute tours of the plant run every half hour.

The Water Treatment Plant, located at 2 Waiora Terrace, Fitzroy, Hamilton, is considered to be one of the more advanced treatment processes in the country and the city has also achieved a Ministry of Health water supply grading, which reflects the high quality water supplied to customers.

Hamilton City Council water operations manager Maire Porter said that while small groups such as school or industry professionals are occasionally taken on tours of the plant, this will be the first time in many years that the plant has held an open day for the general public.

“The Water Treatment Plant Open Day is an opportunity for residents to explore a place that is normally off-limits to the public and see firsthand some of the critical processes that our water supply undertakes before arriving in our homes,” she said. 

“The Open Day is particularly timely as we approach summer – during this period our water supply can be put under extreme pressure as the city’s water consumption levels are at its highest.

 

“Here in Hamilton we’ve come to expect a high standard of water to be instantly available to us whenever we turn on our taps, and it is something that can very easily be taken for granted. However by learning more about the processes that go into treating the city’s water supply, hopefully more residents will come to regard water as a limited and precious resource, and help to take steps to conserve it.”

Entry to the Open Day is by gold coin donation to Oxfam Water for Survival. Representatives from Oxfam will also be present on the day with information about the steps they are taking to improve access to clean water and adequate sanitation for people in developing countries around the world.

For more information, including tour guidelines, visit www.hamilton.co.nz/water