The newest piece of water infrastructure for Kāpiti, the brand new 5.5 million litre Ōtaki Reservoir, is ready to flow, boosting the stored water supply for emergencies and improving fire-fighting capability.
Some of the reservoir construction details
700 cubic metres of concrete used in the floor slab, pre-cast walls and roof
35 metres wide and six metres deep
4 kilometres of new pipes laid to deliver water from the treatment plant to the reservoir and back to the pump station
44 steel columns and 600 six-to-eight-metre-deep stone columns installed for ground strengthening
2500 native plants planted to improve biodiversity and screen the reservoir from neighbours
designed to last 100 years with regular maintenance
built to withstand a one-in-500-year earthquake
KCDC gave a “huge shout-out to everyone who contributed their skills and time to this project, including some very talented locals – you’ve all left a legacy to be proud of 
Ngā mihi nui to the neighbours near the reservoir for your patience and cooperation over the 21 months of construction.”
The next improvement to the Ōtaki water network is another, smaller reservoir to supply the Waitohu Plateau. Planning is underway, with pipe laying due in 2026/27. To learn more about the reservoir project, visit www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Ōtaki-reservoir
