19 Aug EUROFLO slotted pipe in National Park drainage solution
RUAPEHU DISTRICT COUNCIL’S PARK & RIDE FACILITY USES EUROFLO® SLOTTED PIPE IN ‘RAIN GARDENS’ DRAINAGE SOLUTION
A new Park & Ride facility in National Park Village, at the base of Mt Ruapehu, has been developed using EUROFLO® slotted pipe as part of the drainage solution for the site.
Demand for the $1.6m Park & Ride facility – and the public transport that goes with it – has been driven by the tens of thousands of visitors who make their way to Tongariro National Park every year, either to ski on Mt Ruapehu or to take on the challenge of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Murray West from Downer, the construction company contracted for the job by Ruapehu District Council, says the drainage for the Park & Ride area consists of a curving channel around the outside and then ‘rain gardens’ that run through the middle of the site.
The EUROFLO® slotted pipes are central to the successful functioning of the rain gardens.
“These rain gardens have a flush kerb around them and through the middle they have a drainage metal – a scoria-type metal,” says West.
“The water off the carpark soaks through the drainage metal and into the EUROFLO® slotted pipe which then takes it out to an existing stormwater system, effectively draining all the surface water away from the carparks.”
Choosing EUROFLO®’s high density polyethelene pipes for the job was an easy decision for Downer because the EUROFLO® slotted pipe came in the larger dimensions they needed for the job: 250mm, 315mm and 400mm.
“We could have bought other plastic pipes in those sizes but we would have needed to cut the slots into them ourselves. That’s a time-consuming job and at the end of it you just wouldn’t get the same neat and even result as you do buying a pipe that’s already slotted.”
West says the EUROFLO® pipe was also flexible and easy to work with – which came in handy for the team because they had to work the pipe around light poles that sit in the middle of the rain gardens.
This was West’s first job using EUROFLO® products and he says he’s likely to use them again, based on the ease of use, competitive price and the availability of larger pipe diameters.
“I can imagine EUROFLO® ’s pipe would suit jobs with uneven or unstable ground too, offering a bit more bend and flex if things move.”
From August this year, the new Park and Ride facility will provide day and overnight parking for more than 200 cars and campervans supported by services including; public toilets, showers, BBQ facilities, a dump station and refuse facilities, WiFi connectivity, bus, train and shuttle connections and electric vehicle charging stations.
WHAT: EUROFLO® Slotted Pipe
WHERE: Findlay Street, National Park Village – Park & Ride facility
WHEN: 3 Feb – July 2019
WHO: Ruapehu District Council and Downer NZ