Waikato District Council and delivery partner Watercare, have completed a range of works to the water supply, wastewater and stormwater networks, enhancing overall levels of service across the district.

The Government’s three waters infrastructure stimulus package funded over $11 million worth of the works, which were delivered between October 2020 and June of this year.

Notable pieces of work include removing 10,485m3 of sludge from the Meremere, Huntly and Ngāruawāhia wastewater ponds. This will protect and prolong the life of our treatment plants.

The Ngāruawāhia Esplanade pipeline renewal project has been designed and constructed, as have other renewals work taking place across the district.

Council was able to progress collaborative projects with Hamilton City and Waipa Councils, including consolidation of metro area wastewater treatment plant options intended to reduce discharges at different locations and improve environmental outcomes.

General Manager for Service Delivery, Roger MacCulloch is grateful for the funding from the Department of Internal Affairs to support these important upgrades and renewal projects.

“Council is responsible for $376 million worth of three waters assets across the district, so upgrades and renewals are often required to maintain levels of service and support the growth we continue to experience.

“The DIA funding allows us to advance some works that are required but have not been budgeted for elsewhere. Without this funding, they may not have been completed for some years,” says Mr MacCulloch.

Other projects completed with support from the funding include:

• The installation of an ultraviolet treatment unit at Te Kauwhata wastewater treatment plant, which will remove contaminants at a higher level;
• The replacement of filter media at four water treatment plants to protect water quality and remove pollutants;
• Contracting our SCADA telemetry services to a secure third-party hosting facility. SCADA provides online and real time data about the performance of our pump stations and treatment plants across the district, and enables operators to see if each site is running optimally;
• An additional filter barrier treatment being installed at the Raglan water treatment plant. This ensures water quality is not impacted by earthquakes or other disturbances.

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