Community Water Stations are strategically located across urban Wellington. At some sites we drilled new wells to source water, and at other sites water will be taken from streams.
After an emergency event the water stations will be used to source water, treat water and distribute water to our communities.
In reality, places like Upper Hutt will possibly have tap water restored long before parts of Wellington City.
We designed the Community Water Station structures to be mobile – and we can relocate equipment to areas that are still without water, boosting both the emergency supply and the amount of water we have available to test and repair all the leaks in our network.
Decisions on the design and location of each new water station were based on availability of water, site accessibility, and landowner preference.
Examples of concepts for the water stations
Over time, the water stations could be finished based on local ideas – including options for painted murals, or to promote water-related education programmes.
The water stations were located without interfering with existing park or amenity features. Where there is space, a number of enhancements could be installed alongside the water station including:
- Drinking water fountains
- Water resilience information boards
- Water flow demonstrations
- Play equipment
- Canopies or shelters.
At many sites, water treatment and distribution equipment, such as pumps, hoses, and treatment equipment is stored inside the water stations. At some sites there is insufficient space for the container. So the equipment will need to be stored at a distance away from the water extraction site.
Are all the water stations the same?
No. The sites that extract stream or river water need a lot more kit – pumps to extract water, and more intensive water treatment processes. Two of the sites – Korokoro (Hutt City) and Riverstone (Upper Hutt) include two structures. One to store equipment and one for the water treatment system.