Wastewater Treatment Plant Update

Work to bring Napier’s Wastewater Treatment Plant back to pre-cyclone operational condition is well under way and progressing on schedule with both biological trickling filters (BTF) now up and running.

Flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle resulted in most of the treatment plant’s equipment being significantly damaged. Since April, the site has been treating wastewater using its miliscreen process rather than the full operation, which includes two biological trickling filters commissioned in 2014.

Russell Bond, Napier City Council’s Executive Director of Infrastructure, says bringing the BTFs back online has been a major focus.

“There’s a big team dedicated to making it happen. It’s rewarding to see them commissioned and put into operation again.”

Now the BTFs are operating, it will take a few weeks for the bacteria inside the filters to regrow to its pre-cyclone levels. Odour beds that were damaged during the cyclone have been cleared and repaired and will soon receive new bark to ensure they can work in tandem with the BTFs. Other current work at the Wastewater Treatment Plant includes completion of the Power Distribution Centre refurbishment and ongoing silt removal.