Waitohu students get peek at reservoir

Waitohu students get peek at reservoir

Year 4 students at Waitohu School got a morning out of class when they visited the under-construction Ōtaki reservoir on November 27.

The visit was organised by Kāpiti Coast District Council, with project manager Aaron Flitcroft telling the students all about the work and offering lots of intriguing statistics.

There were plenty of wide eyes when Aaron told the students the wall consisted of 36 concrete panels built in Ōtaki by local company Pre Co, and each of them weighed 10 tonnes. The reservoir is designed to hold 5.5 million litres of water, which will take a week to fill. It’s seven metres high and 108 metres in circumference.

KCDC senior communications advisor Philippa Ross-James also told the children that hundreds of columns had been driven into the ground to strengthen the structure.

The reservoir is due to be completed in March 2025.