If you’ve wondered what happens to what you flush, come along to a guided tour of NPDC’s New Plymouth wastewater treatment plant on Saturday.  

We’re celebrating 40 years of the plant in Rifle Range Road, which every year treats wastewater from 28,000 homes from Waitara through to Ōākura.

“It’s a chance for people to go behind the scenes and get a better understanding of where all that wastewater goes, how we treat it so that it doesn’t end up contaminating our waterways,” says Wastewater Treatment Plant Lead Suzanne Vennik.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is that after treating, the solids that come out at the end of the process is a nutrient rich-fertiliser, Bioboost®- which is sold throughout the country in garden centres.”

Part of the tour will include taking a look at the thermal dryer which is used to produce Bioboost®.

The tour is also an opportunity for people to learn why it is important to only put the three Ps - paper, pee or poo - down the toilet.

“Every year our team deals with dozens of blocked pipes that can result in raw sewage or wastewater spilling out into the sea or local properties and nine times out of 10 the blockage is caused by ‘fat bergs’ of rags such as wipes, fat and other items clogging up the system,” says Suzanne.

Before the treatment plant opened in November 1984 wastewater was dumped untreated into the sea just off the end of Elliot St. It has since been expanded over the years and had its treatment systems upgraded to meet the demands of the district’s growing population. As well as a look at the operations, visitors can also enjoy a bit of birthday cake to mark the special occasion.

What: 40 years of the New Plymouth Wastewater Treatment Plant
When: 10am – 1pm. Saturday 9 November. Tours start every 20 minutes.
Where: Rifle Range Road, New Plymouth.

Note: Not suitable for children under seven years of age. Please wear closed-toe shoes. No pushchairs.

Find out more about how we manage wastewater and our treatment plants on our website.

Fast Facts

• NP Wastewater Treatment Plant was opened in 1984.
• The treatment plant is water-conscious, reusing 500,000 litres of treated effluent every day to run the plant instead of using regular drinking water.
• The plant collects and treats sewage from urban areas of New Plymouth, Bell Block, Waitara, Inglewood and Ōākura and returns clean water to the environment.
• As well as the New Plymouth Treatment Plant, we operate 34 pump stations and a 631km sewer network.
• On average, we handle 25 million litres of wastewater each day.

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