Branxholme, just north of Invercargill, saw lots of contractor activity recently as part of the Invercargill City Council’s $11.5m upgrade of the city’s water treatment plant. ICC tasked fi innovations with the manufacture and installation of double linings inside both their alum tanks. These double linings provide environmental protection in the event of an earthquake or other mishap.

After detailed planning, the project started with laminating a series of huge vinylester sheets at our Otepuni Ave factory. An array of stiffening ribs was bonded to the back of each sheet to provide the required cavity spacing and resist the hydraulic pressure.

Each sheet weighed over 200kg, so it took quite a few trips to transport all ten sections by road over the 15km to Branxholme.

Once the sheets were on-site, the fi innovations team carefully manoeuvred them into position in each alum tank. The edges were bonded together with custom-made mouldings.

Finally, the crew worked to seal all the joints before the fibreglass I-beams and safety gratings were installed.

It was a big job for the fi innovations team, but overall very satisfying to complete it within the strict criteria.