The construction for the Omāroro Reservoir began in 2020 and was one of the largest water infrastructure projects in the Wellington region.
With only a few buried reservoirs across New Zealand, Omāroro will play a key role in increasing the city’s resilience as it has doubled the water storage capacity for Wellington’s CBD and stores enough water to last around two days.
The concrete structure is built to withstand a 1 in 5000-year earthquake, and serves 70,000 residents in central Wellington, Thorndon, Newtown, Mount Cook, Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Miramar, Strathmore and Seatoun, as well as Wellington Hospital.
This $70 million project was delivered on time and within the approved budget, with the reservoir put into service one year ahead of schedule, in December 2022. It was officially opened in February 2024.
This project was a joint venture led by Wellington Water, which manages the city’s drinking water, stormwater and wastewater, working with Wellington City Council and the Greater Wellington Regional Council.