Waiari Water Treatment Plant – DuraMesh™

The Waiāri Water Supply Scheme involved developing a water extraction facility on the Waiāri Stream and an underground water pipeline from the plant to service the Papamoa coastal strip growth areas. To gain entry to the water treatment plant an access road was required on the western side of the valley. A large Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) wall was required to reinforce the road, enabling a safe avenue for service vehicles.

Design

Beca was appointed by the Tauranga City Council to provide engineering services for the consent, design and construction of the intake and water treatment plant, carried out the reinforced soil structure valuation and design. DuraMesh was chosen as the most suitable solution for the project because of its speed of installation and constructibility. The Cirtex team met with the project engineers a couple of times to discuss details, including the strict specs around the backfill material. The retaining wall ended up being 6 metres high, using the 70-degree panels.

Installation

The DuraMesh installation was executed by HEB Construction. Once again, our representatives assistance and expertise was significant to the positive outcome of the project, offering on site support and helping the contractor to resolve some important challenges given the very low tolerance levels required at the top of the DuraMesh wall.

The products used provided the following benefits to the project:

• Ease and speed of installation
• Flexibility to be tailored to meet the project requirements
• Strength and durability