What the muck? We’re desludging Paeroa’s wastewater treatment ponds
We’re removing sludge from the bottom of the Paeroa wastewater treatment ponds to make more room and keep them working properly for longer.
Treatment Plant Operation
The Paeroa Wastewater Treatment Plant treats on average approx 3000m3 of wastewater per day. After it’s filtered, the wastewater passes into a series of three aeration and maturation ponds. Sludge has built up on the bottom of the ponds sludge and is taking up room and affecting the treatment process.
Quick reference infoJan 2021 – Build containment compound Mid Feb 2021 – Start desludging March 2021 – Paeroa ponds desludged |
An Opportunity
The desludging works is one of the projects being funded by a $3M ‘Three Waters’ (wastewater, drinking water, stormwater) grant that we received from the Crown in November 2020.
The Crown funding is part of a $761million government package offered to councils to help maintain and improve three waters, and to encourage them to work with the government on the development of a new regional model for the delivery of water services across New Zealand.
We’ve agreed to accept the grant and also to participate in a reform process that will look at solutions to some of the challenges facing councils in delivering water services, such as affordability for our ratepayers.
We’ve prioritised desludging of the wastewater treatment plant ponds as it will:
i) Improve the quality of treated water, leading to better environmental outcomes;
ii) Make more room in the ponds, meaning the wastewater treatment plant can better support growth in our district.
See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information on how desludging works.
