Council invests $100M in wastewater
District-wide investment aims for environmental compliance, growth
Work to upgrade Paeroa’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is set to start this year after Hauraki District Council signed a $35 million contract last week.
The upgrade is part of a 10-year, $100 million investment in wastewater infrastructure throughout the district that started three years ago, in line with the 2021-31 long-term plan.
The upgraded plant will move away from the traditional pondbased system to a “mechanical system” that uses different tanks, pumps, blowers, grinders, and other mechanical components to treat wastewater.
This system would better meet the high national environmental water discharge standards set by the Government, the council said.
The contract was awarded to Hamilton-based company Spartan Construction, and all going well, work on the upgrade is expected to start by late 2024 and for the new plant to be fully commissioned by mid-tolate 2026.
Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams said the upgrade was “the single-largest infrastructure project” the council had invested in.
“It’s a bold move, one that the community has been asking for and one that gives us confidence in growing our district for future generations.
“It’s a substantial cost to the community so it was important we got it right and not delay a decision. We’ve gone with the option that gives the most resilience for growth, meets resource consent discharge standards and provides capacity during natural disasters.”
Adams said the council started preparing a business case and plan for the district’s wastewater systems in 2017.
“Covid-19 significantly interrupted the flow of the planning in 2020, and the delays escalated associated costs. Added to that was the uncertainty of the proposed changes to Three Waters.
“But as a council and community, we knew that we wanted to be the masters of our own destiny and get this job done. It’s an important upgrade that is essential to meet the new national discharge standards in our resource consent and prepare for future growth of the area.”
The $35 million contract has been awarded for the first stage of the upgrade that is set to meet Paeroa’s growth to 2035.
Provision will be made, but not built, for stage two growth, which would cater for Paeroa up to 2050. The building site will be raised and levelled to future-proof against unexpected natural disasters such as flooding.
Adams said the council would explore funding options for stage two.
“Going forward, we have decisions to make on how this spend is reflected in the rates over the next 10 years. We’ll address that in our 2024-34 long-term plan.”
Wastewater upgrades already completed by the council elsewhere in the district include the upgrading of wastewater pump stations and moving to a computerised, real-time monitoring system, relining pipes, as well as desludging of geobags at the Paeroa and Waih¯ı treatment plants.
The council also got a major upgrade to the Wellington Street Pump Station and rising main to Waih¯ı‘s Wastewater Treatment Plant underway.