Major Waikeria wastewater project completed

A major wastewater construction project has come to an end following the final completion and commissioning of the new Waikeria wastewater Pump Station.

The $30M project, jointly funded and delivered by Ara Poutama Aotearoa - The Department of Corrections and Waipā District Council, involves installing two new pump stations and a length of wastewater pipelines between Waikeria Prison, Kihikihi and Te Awamutu.

Council’s service delivery group manager Dawn Inglis said the switchover of wastewater into the new pumpstation was the final milestone for the project.

“We are very pleased to have now completed the construction stage, with only minor tweaks to be undertaken as we optimise the wastewater flows through the new pipes.”

The Waikeria pump station was connected to Waipā’s network on Monday 15 March, pumping wastewater to the new Albert Park Pump station (via Kihikhi) which was connected in January.

This will bring incoming flows from Waikeria through to the Te Awamutu wastewater treatment plant for treatment that meets modern environmental standards.

Council has contributed $4.25M for growth-related costs with Corrections contributing the remainder for the new and upgraded infrastructure.

“This project has been of great benefit to both Waipa and Corrections. We’ve been able to replace ageing infrastructure while partnering with the Department to treat the wastewater from their facility.”

“Overall, we’ll be able to achieve a far higher standard for treatment than previously possible, which is a great outcome for the Puniu River catchment.” Inglis added.

With the project now complete and the assets sitting on Council books, Corrections will provide the district with a yearly fee towards the treatment of discharged waste, maintenance and depreciation of assets.

The project has brought new technology to the district, in the form of green odour-control domes in multiple locations across Kihikihi, Te Awamutu and Albert Park.

Council’s Three Waters Programme Manager Carl Smith advised residents who do smell unpleasant odours emitting from the domes should contact council so they can replace the carbon filters.

“The carbon filters effectively soak up odours from raw sewage as it travels through the wastewater network so if you do smell an unpleasant odour it means something is not working right and we need to undertake maintenance on the units.”

“Now that we are fully operational, we’ll be optimising the network and determining the best frequency for filter replacement to help minimise the effects on their neighbours. Community feedback will be an essential part of getting this just right,” Smith said.

Construction on the Waikeria pipeline project began in September 2019 and has met timeframe and budget expectations, despite challenges posed from the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated work and site restrictions.