MEDIA RELEASE
Ruapehu District Council

Date: Tuesday 13 August 2013

Drinking Water Plants Get Subsidy Assistance

National Park and Taumarunui water treatment plants will both benefit from the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) most recent drinking-water subsidy allocation.

The MOH Drinking-Water Subsidy Scheme allocates funding to small, disadvantaged communities to help either establish or improve their drinking-water supplies.

Ruapehu District Council (RDC) Environmental Manager, Anne Marie Westcott, said that since the launch of the scheme in 2005 RDC has been successful in gaining financial support for a number of drinking water schemes around the district.

“Under this current subsidy allocation council has been granted $165,000 toward the $275,000 cost of upgrading valves, pipe works and UV treatment at the Taumarunui water plant,” she said.

“Council received the maximum subsidy of 60% of the cost of the work which will assist make Taumarunui water compliant with new water standards coming into effect next year.”

“National Park has been awarded at subsidy of $184,875 toward the $217,500 cost of upgrading of pipe work, and making improvements to the sand filter, instruments and UV treatment.”

“Council also received the maximum subsidy available for this type of work which was 85%.”

Ms Westcott noted that the although the MOH subsidy rules stipulate that the works for which the subsidies have been granted need to be completed within the next two years council will implementing both projects well before this.

“The MOH makes $10 million available each year to the Drinking-Water Subsidy Scheme with the current programme running until 2015.”

“Council is currently assessing options for applying for subsidy assistance for the Raetihi water treatment scheme from the remaining two funding rounds,” she said.

PETER TILL
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

ENDS

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