Upgrade to the treatment plant

The Council has budgeted around $40 million between 1997 and 2007 to upgrade the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant and improve the wastewater quality. Some of the more recent work includes:

Upgrades to the treatment ponds
The upgrades to the treatment ponds at the plant have recently been completed. The upgrades have changed how the flow moves through the pond system and are expected to produce an effluent quality that is some 10 times better than what was previously discharged into the estuary.

City Council operations and maintenance manager Mike Bourke says the results achieved to date on the improvements to the water quality are very encouraging. “More detailed results will not be available until the end of August, once the ponds have been operational in their new configuration for a number of months,” he says.

Smell from the plant and ponds
The upgrade of the treatment plant has put further odour control measures in place. When the upgrade is complete, all the major sources of odour will have been treated and the load on the ponds will be lowered significantly, ensuring the ponds do not emit significant odours.