Waikato District Council and its delivery partner, Watercare, have completed a series of works on the water supply, sewage and stormwater systems, improving overall service levels across the district .
The government’s Tri-Water Infrastructure Recovery Plan has funded more than $11 million of work, which was delivered between October 2020 and June this year.
Notable works include the removal of 10,485m3 of sludge from the Meremere, Huntly and Ngāruawāhia sewage ponds. This will protect and extend the life of our treatment plants.
The Ngāruawāhia Esplanade Pipeline Renewal Project has been designed and constructed, along with other ongoing renewal works in the district.
The council was able to advance collaborative projects with the City of Hamilton and Waipa councils, including consolidating options for metropolitan sewage treatment plants intended to reduce discharges at different locations and improve environmental outcomes.
Director General of Service Delivery Roger MacCulloch is grateful for funding from the Department of Internal Affairs to support these important modernization and renewal projects.
“The council is responsible for $376 million of three aquatic assets in the district, so upgrades and renewals are often required to maintain service levels and support the growth we continue to experience.
“The DIA funding allows us to advance certain works which are necessary but which have not been budgeted elsewhere. Without this funding, they may not have been completed for several years,” says MacCulloch.
Other projects completed with funding support include:
- The installation of an ultraviolet treatment unit at the Te Kauwhata wastewater treatment plant, which will remove contaminants to a higher level;
- Replacement of filter media in four water treatment plants to protect water quality and remove pollutants;
- Outsource our SCADA telemetry services to a secure third party hosting facility. SCADA provides online, real-time data on the performance of our pump stations and treatment plants across the district, and allows operators to see if each site is operating optimally;
- An additional barrier filter treatment is being installed at the Raglan wastewater treatment plant. This ensures that the water quality is not affected by earthquakes or other disturbances.
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