The new membrane filtration plant that will treat drinking water for users on the Methven and Methven-Springfield community schemes is on track to be fully commissioned by mid-August.

Members of the Methven Community Board had a chance to visit the site on Long Fords Road this week and see the progress first hand.

The old treatment plant building and concrete reservoir are being replaced with a much larger modern steel building to house the membrane and disinfection equipment and two huge steel reservoir tanks with a combined capacity of 1128 cubic metres that will help manage peak demand.

The second tank has just been commissioned and can now be filled; the two reservoirs will provide Methven with at least 18 hours of average daily water supply (the town uses an average 1500 cubic metres a day).

Contractor Masons is set to install the membrane filtration equipment in the next few weeks.

Council Infrastructure and Open Spaces Group Manager Neil McCann said the interior of the new plant building resembled a giant meccano set as the new filtration equipment was assembled.

“We’re really pleased with how this project is progressing and the construction work is on target to be completed in the next month or so. The contractor will then work through the commissioning stage and it should be a matter of turning off the old plant and turning on the new one."

Raw water from the Methven and Methven Springfield intakes will enter the facility and pass through a membrane filter that removes 99.9 per cent of micro-sized contaminants. The water will then be disinfected with UV light and chlorine, and fluoride added, before being stored in the reservoirs and distributed via the town’s drinking water supply pipe network.

Methven Community Board chair Kelvin Holmes said the site visit on Monday allowed members to compare the old and the new, and see how the $10 million project was progressing.

“This will be a big leap forward for Methven’s drinking water. The new membrane plant will be able to filter turbid water and that means no more boil water notices after big rains or a flood.”

A report on the condition of the old concrete reservoir will be presented to the community board in July.

An open day for the community to see the finished plant is also under discussion.

Below: Two new reservoirs at the Methven water treatment plant will manage peak demand.

Below: Members of the Methven Community Board in the old water treatment plant room.