Temporary UV reactors will be installed at Upper Clutha water supplies before the end of the year, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has announced.

Following an outbreak of the parasite cryptosporidium in the Queenstown water supply earlier this month, a compliance order was issued to the council by water regulator Taumata Arowai, highlighting the absence of required protozoa barriers for water supplies around the district.

Read more: Queenstown parasite outbreak raises concerns about Upper Clutha water supplies

Mayor Glyn Lewers said yesterday (Friday September 29) the council has secured UV disinfection equipment, an effective barrier treatment against cryptosporidium, for the Two Mile water treatment plant which supplies the Queenstown network.

This will also be the first step in effective treatment for other non-compliant supplies in the district, the mayor said.

QLDC property and infrastructure general manager Tony Avery said the first step is to install the UV treatment at Two Mile but “due to a lack of availability of ideally sized equipment” it will be a temporary solution to address the immediate need and respond to the compliance order.

“This temporary solution will do what we need in the short term but larger UV reactors, which have also now been ordered, are required long term,” he said. 

“Once the larger equipment arrives, we will swap out the temporary systems for use elsewhere in the district.”

This approach means the council will be able to promptly implement UV treatment not only at Two Mile but also water supplies at Western Wānaka, Beacon Point in Wānaka, and Luggate, he said.

Tony said the temporary UV treatment should be in place by December 8. 

The ten weeks until then will be spent undertaking design, procurement of the component parts and fabrication of the container housing for the equipment, delivery, site connection and commissioning, and flushing of the network. Further details of the full programme will be provided next week, a statement from QLDC said.

PHOTO: Wānaka App