Biggest wastewater transfer station in Hamilton opens
A giant tank with a storage capacity of 1.5 million litres is an imposing feature at the city’s new and biggest wastewater transfer station in Peacocke.
The station - which has cost about $23 million - will take “flushes” from the established Fitzroy community and future homes in Peacocke.
Finishing touches and checks are being carried out at the site on Peacockes Rd before the first homes in Fitzroy are connected to the transfer station and it is fully operational in May.
Wastewater will be pumped north and eventually finish its journey at the Pukete wastewater treatment plant.
Hamilton City Council said in a statement that, besides the 1.5 million litre capacity tank, the project involved 358,000 litres of underground storage, 1,800 cubic metres of poured concrete, 20km of pipeline and about 150,000 labour construction hours involving more than 150 staff.
Project manager for Peacocke’s wastewater projects Sven Ericksen said: “To know that this transfer station is powerful enough to move water from Peacocke to Chartwell, over the new Waikato River bridge and through the northern pipelines, is pretty incredible.”
Northern pipelines for Peacocke were completed by mid-2022, being installed along Wairere Drive from Cobham Drive to Crosby Rd.
Ericksen said the project would facilitate growth, add resilience to existing wastewater networks, help manage the impacts of climate change, and protect land and the Waikato River.
Mayor Paula Southgate said in the council’s statement marking the official opening on Monday that the transfer station was the centrepiece of a wastewater network that would ultimately cater for up to 20,000 Hamiltonians who will call Peacocke home.
“It’s a critical part of the infrastructure puzzle that unlocks the next stage of development in this significant greenfield area.”
It would also reduce pressure on the existing network in the city’s southwest, Southgate said.