Kaitāia plant upgrade
Project details
The Council proposes to upgrade Kaitāia's wastewater treatment plant to improve the quality of the treated wastewater that is discharged to the Awanui River.
The Regional Plan for Northland provides guidance and rules about the quality of the wastewater that can be discharged. When the current resource consent is renewed the discharge to water will need to meet strict quality standards.
Council’s engineers and planners explored options to upgrade the existing plant so that it can treat Kaitāia’s wastewater to a higher standard. Budget for the preferred upgrade option has been included in the Long Term Plan 2021-31.
The preferred upgrade option for Kaitaia includes:
Task | Purpose |
Desludging the oxidation pond and maturation pond 1 | This will enable baffle curtains and aerators to be installed as well as increase treatment capacity. |
Desludging and decommissioning of maturation pond 2 | The installation of UV treatment eliminates the need for the second maturation pond. Decommissioning this pond might also reduce problems associated with algal blooms. |
Decommissioning the wetland | The wetland is in bad condition and performs poorly. |
Upgrade the septage receiving system | This will reduce blockages and avoid septage needing to be discharged directly into the ponds |
Installing pond surface aerators and baffle curtains | Aeration will maximise ammonia removal and baffle curtains will increase retention time within the WWTP |
Installing a new tertiary treatment system including a chemical dosing system, UV units and installing a clarifier. | Chemical dosing removes phosphorus. A clarifier will improve solids removal to allow for improved UV disinfection. UV units remove pathogens. |
