Building water security for our region’s future
Waimea Water Ltd (WWL) announced today that the final project cost of the Waimea Dam is $211M.
WWL also advised that its contractual disputes with the dam construction contractor, Fulton Hogan Taylors JV, have been amicably settled and dispute proceedings ceased between the parties.
WWL CEO Mike Scott said he acknowledged that construction of the Waimea Community Dam had been a difficult project during a challenging time but was important for the region.
“This has been a significant project for the region, and I thank the community and shareholders for their ongoing support,” he said. “I also thank the construction contractor, Fulton Hogan Taylors JV, for their work and our wider WWL team for the large effort that everyone put into the project. With construction now behind us, we can put our entire focus into efficiently operating the dam to provide shareholders their water security.”
Scott noted project highlights such as the contractor’s impressive safety record, with no lost time injuries during the build, and “the way we engineered and managed our way out of the challenges thrown at us.”
On behalf of the Fulton Hogan Taylors JV, Ben Hayward said they were pleased the dispute proceedings had come to an end and the project finished. “The five-year dam project was demanding at times, but now that it has been completed, we can look back with pride on we have achieved and the flow on benefits to the region’s future prosperity.”
The Waimea Community Dam is the first large dam to be constructed in New Zealand for 30 years, during which time the country’s population has increased 45% and the changing climate has exacerbated the need to store water, Scott adds.
“Water security for our communities, environment and economy is important. Productivity and economic benefit require water security” he said. “While I appreciate that the cost of this water security is a lot for our small community, we now have a very well-constructed contemporary dam that will benefit many generations to come.”
“March and April last year showed us the benefit of the dam, when we released 20% of the reservoir to avoid severe water restrictions that would have otherwise severely impacted residential water supply, shut down some industries, impacted our food production and exports. It would have had a significant impact on both the economy and river health. The dam is doing its job.”
Scott also advised the dam is fully operational and Te Kurawai o Pūhanga, the reservoir behind the Waimea Dam, is full and ready to provide service to shareholders and the community this summer season.
There will be no further comment on the dispute proceedings from either party.