Biosolids being taken to landfill

Plans to spread sludge from New Plymouth’s wastewater treatment plant on fields while crucial repairs were carried out had to be abandoned after four days because of complaints about the smell.

Now the waste is being trucked almost 300km to landfill – at a cost of $379,000.

In February, an extraordinary meeting of New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) approved $4.3 million of repairs and upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s thermal dryer.

It was falling apart and in a dangerous state after years of dwindling maintenance due to plans to replace it, which were eventually costed at $25 million.

The council decided to urgently repair the dryer, which dries out biosolids for use as fertiliser, and complete extra upgrades to give it about 10 more years of use.

It was shut down on February 26 and what was expected to be eight weeks of repairs began on March 2. The plan was to spread the waste on fields next to the Rifle Range Rd site while work took place.

Trucking the waste to the Hampton Downs landfill, about 290km north of New Plymouth, was only supposed to happen if the repairs were not completed on time.

But, following complaints, since March 5 one truck a day has been taking the sludge to Hampton Downs between Mondays and Thursdays, and two on Fridays.

The council said the work had been on course to be completed on time and on budget by April 24, but the national coronavirus lockdown, which came into force on March 25, had put that on hold.

‘‘When the lockdown lifts, we’re aiming to restart."