Pukekohe Waste Water Treatment Plant

Award:  Other Entrants

Project:  Pukekohe Waste Water Treatment Plant

Entrant:  Downer NZ Ltd

Owner:  Watercare Services Limited

Consultant:  AWT Water / Sinclair Knight Merz

Contractor:  Downer NZ Ltd

Other Firms:  Stevenson Concrete Ltd; Counties Concrete; Clearwater Construction; Acrow

The former Franklin District Council commissioned the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in 2008.

The plant, completed in 2010, features two 250,000L SBR tanks, ancillary structures such as the inlet works, transfer pump station, chemical dosing and UV disinfection chamber, all structures being constructed from concrete.

Prior to the construction of the new plant, wastewater from the Pukekohe region was pumped into large ponds spread out over an area of 34.8 hectares with the only treatment being a series of rotary aerators.  The system posed some health risks to maintenance staff, it was slow, inefficient in terms of land use, and prone to odour.

The new structures and process have vastly increased the wastewater treatment capacity on a very small 3.5 hectare footprint.  The process is odour-free, safe and efficient.  The new plant will bring infrastructure security and reliability to the developing Franklin District.