The L'Aube Hill water treatment plant provides the water supply for Akaroa and Takamatua.
Water for the Akaroa water supply scheme is taken from four streams (Aylmers, Grehan, Balguerie and Takamatua) and two wells, one at Settlers Hill Road (41 metres deep) and one at Aylmers Valley (138 metres deep).
The treatment process includes coagulation, flocculation, membrane filtration, chlorination and pH correction. The new L'Aube Hill treatment plant replaces three treatment plants, which were at L'Aube Hill, Aylmers Valley and Takamatua.
New pipelines were constructed to connect Takamatua to the Akaroa system, to bring untreated water from Takamatua Stream to the treatment plant, and to pipe treated water to Takamatua. A new treated water reservoir was built on Old Coach Road at the highest point of the pipeline to provide storage for Takamatua.
There are two other main treated water reservoirs, one at the treatment plant site on L'Aube Hill and the other at the former treatment plant site at Aylmers Valley. There are also four smaller reservoirs. As well as storing treated water, these reservoirs supply pressure for the network and most properties in Akaroa are supplied by gravity from these reservoirs. In addition, there are four small pump stations to provide water for properties higher up the hill.
The Akaroa water supply scheme provides water to more than 1000 properties in Akaroa and approximately 130 properties in Takamatua.