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Big lift at Lake Mangamahoe: Crane and barge power water intake upgrade

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PUBLISHED: 11 MAR 2026
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A barge and a crane will be temporary new features at Lake Mangamahoe while NPDC upgrades key parts of the New Plymouth water collection system.

The work on two water intakes will result in better-quality raw water being supplied to the New Plymouth Water Treatment Plant, which will make the treatment process more efficient. Also, new fish screens that meet industry best-practice will replace the current 40-year-old screens.

“It’s tricky when you’re working in a water environment like a lake so for part of the project, we’ll be bringing in a barge to work from,” says NPDC Project Delivery Manager Sean Cressy.

“Public access will continue throughout the work, so people will have the opportunity to take a good look at how we’re upgrading these intakes, but because of a lack of space the road will be reduced to a single lane for a few weeks in March and June.

“At the end of this work, we’ll have an intake system that’s able to service our community for many more years to come.”

Work starts in the next few days at Lake Mangamahoe and will take six month to finish. One intake will be extended further and deeper into the lake while the other will be removed, to be replaced by a new intake built further down the lake.

A third intake, which draws water from the Waiwhakaiho River, will be upgraded next year.

The New Plymouth water scheme supplies properties in New Plymouth, Bell Block, Lepperton, Waitara, Tikorangi, Onaero and Urenui.

At a glance:

  • The New Plymouth Water Treatment Plant provides water for 26,000 homes and business from Urenui to Omata – that’s about 90 per cent of the water for the whole district.
  • The district’s four water schemes (New Plymouth, Inglewood, Ōākura and Okato) supply about 28m litres of water per day.
  • Lake Mangamahoe is the district’s main water storage, and it holds about 10 days’ worth of water.


Caption: Two of Lake Mangamahoe where three water intakes will be upgraded during the next few months.

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Page last updated: 09:46am Wed 11 March 2026

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