Pondering Wastewater Issues

About 150 people will assemble for 3 days in Whangamata from tomorrow for the annual conference of the New Zealand Land Treatment Collective. The Collective, a non-profit association, brings together researchers, Government officials, consultants and industry specialists with a common interest in land treatment. The conference aims to foster communication and look at the latest improvements in the land treatment of wastewater.

This year’s conference location was specifically chosen because of the challenges Whangamata and several surrounding Coromandel towns are experiencing with small-scale wastewater treatment.

The Collective is managed through Rotorua-based Crown Research Institute, Forest Research, where land treatment of waste products has been researched since 1978. The research focus has been on the application of wastewaters to production forests in order to avoid pollution of water bodies. Many other New Zealand research organisations are also involved in land treatment research and most are members of the Collective.

Conference spokesperson, John Lavery of Forest Research, says “This year’s unprecedented attendance at the conference is indicative of the importance of community wastewater issues to all New Zealand stakeholders. Any new information in this arena is always met with great interest, as the interested public, councils, consultants, industrial partners and researchers continue to work together to improve wastewater treatment in often challenging surroundings. The broad spectrum of delegates that we have this year is indicative of the desire to make New Zealand a cleaner, greener place.”

ENDS

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