The Christie Avenue Wastewater Pump Station upgrade programme in Te Awamutu is in its final stages after works began in October 2020.
The upgrade was a result of needing to address increased capacity and efficiency requirements for the growing town.
Council’s Group Manager – Service Delivery Dawn Inglis, said the upgrade was identified as a future project, however it was brought forward in 2019 due to the operational impacts resulting from the Waikeria Wastewater pipeline project.
“This facility pumps wastewater from households in the second largest catchment in Te Awamutu through to the Te Awamutu Water Treatment Plant for processing and the upgrade to this critical infrastructure equips us for our growing population; benefitting our district for generations to come.”
The pump station was originally built in the 1970’s as a booster pump station designed to cater for Te Awamutu’s population of up to 10,000 people. With population projections now touted to be 18,300 people by 2050, an upgrade to the pump station to cope with increasing demand was essential.
A lot has gone into upgrading the site, including replacing the existing pumps with two new submersible pumps, internal pipe work, electrical upgrades, structural floor supports, modification of the access door, odour control measures, roof replacement, exterior painting, new emergency storage tanks, and new wastewater pipeline.
Inglis said the neighbouring Christie Avenue residents had been really patient throughout the disruptive work programme.
“When it was originally built, the Christie Ave pump station was in an open area but since that time, homes have been built and residents have moved in. Our neighbours have been extremely patient with the often noisy and disruptive work and we are extremely thankful for that.”
Prior to the upgrade, during heavy rainfall, pressure on the wastewater network was a challenge and Council staff were required to manually switch between two pump station sites to manage wastewater flows. The upgrade now allows this process to occur without manual intervention.
The last step is for Council to reconstruct the concrete entranceway and some of the adjacent footpath in March, and planting is planned for the site in winter.
