Rakaia River to Waikirikiri / Selwyn Near River Recharge project

Location: Waikirikiri, NZ

Schedule: 2020

When the river is running dry near the project site in Hororata and there is sufficient flow in the Rakaia River, water can be taken from the CPW pipeline and discharged in the leaky basin and dry river channel nearby, where it naturally seeps into the ground, mimicking the action of the river itself.

Taurus Engineering worked on Stage 1. It comprises 17km, or 23,000 ha, of open canal terminating near Hororata, with underground laterals to the member farms. This project enable thousands of litres of Rakaia River water every second to the Waikirikiri / Selwyn River system.

Crown Irrigation Investments invested $6.5 million in Canterbury Central Plains Water Ltd (CPW) stage 1 and this amount has been fully repaid.

For this part of the project Taurus supplied all the materials, designed and built the walkways and monorail; fabricated and installed the building structure and provided pipe services.