Locals see Burkes pump officially commissioned

The new large pump station alongside the Burkes Drain outlet to the Manawatu River was officially commissioned on Saturday with over 90 locals there to mark the occasion.

Burkes pump station on Highway 56 is part of the Manawatu Drainage Scheme, which replaced the Manawatu Drainage Board initially established in 1921. The scheme services approximately 1,100 ratepayers spread from Rangiotu, almost to Bunnythorpe and Feilding.

Horizons Regional Council operations staff invited all those ratepayers whose properties contribute flow to the new pump station to the event and group manager operations Allan Cook says he was pleased with the response.

“As this Scheme covers such a large area we’re really pleased so many people took time out of their Saturday to come, including National member of parliament Ian McKelvie and Manawatu district mayor Margaret Kouvelis, to see it commissioned,” he says.

“This is the biggest of 23 pump stations in our Region and provides direct benefit to approximately 2,100 hectares of land within the Taonui Basin. Once operating it will have the capacity to pump 7,500 litres per second from the Taonui Basin via Burkes Drain into the Manawatu River.

“For local landowners it will make a big difference during smaller, more regular flood events where ponded floodwaters can cause pasture damage.”

The event began with a blessing of the site by Wiremu Te Awe Awe representing Rangitaane, speeches by Horizons’ catchment operations committee chair Murray Guy and Mr Cook, and was followed by a guided tour of the site.

“We had a great turn out and received some really positive feedback from those that attended,” says Cr Guy.

“It is very satisfying to see the pump finally completed and being well received by the community. Improved drainage will create more opportunities for land use intensification and economic growth.”

The four pumps that make up the station are expected to operate more than 20 times a year when the Burkes floodgates are closed by elevated levels in the Manawatu River. The station is expected to operate to capacity intermittently on up to eight occasions each year and for extended periods approximately twice a year.

The project, which has been well over a decade in the making, has cost a total of approximately $3.4 million, including an upgrade of the power supply to the site.

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