Press release
1 March 2004

Council to install diesel generators for emergencies

The Christchurch City Council plans to install two diesel-powered electric generators at the proposed new pump station on the corner of Bass and Randolph streets, Linwood, as emergency generators during power failure.

“This is standard practice for pump stations this size to ensure that the sewage continues to flow to the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant rather than into the city’s rivers at such times,” says Reticulations Projects team leader, Graham Williams.

The existing pump station on an adjacent site already has diesel generators installed. This site will be disestablished and the new station built to allow for increased future capacity. The Council has lodged resource consent applications for the site.

To get full use of the generators and cut station operating costs, the Council plans to enter a partnering arrangement with Orion to also use the generators for emergency power and load-shedding when Orion needs extra power - mainly on cold winter days, Mr Williams says.

The generators would operate at peak power demand times which are normally between 7am and 9pm. This process is not new and has already saved the Council about $70,000 per year at its Number One pump station in Pages Road, he says.

The Council anticipates that the new Linwood pump station will save more than $100,000 a year. The generators are expected to operate about 100 hours a year, depending on Orion’s needs, or one or two hours each time, Mr Williams says.

It is proposed that the exhaust fumes from the generators will be discharged from 13.5-metre-high exhausts to allow dispersion of contaminants so that resulting ground-level readings are well below set guidelines.

Extensive noise reduction measures built into the station aim to keep noise levels well below City Plan noise limits.

Mr Williams says the Council has made every effort to ensure that it consults the most affected neighbours to identify any concerns about the project. Information leaflets on likely pump station and pipe construction methods had been hand-delivered to mailboxes in the wider area in November, 2003.

He had also made direct contact with the neighbouring rest home, Linwood College, and Linwood Avenue School.

Objections to the resources consent application to discharge contaminants into the air, close on Friday, 5 March, 2004, and can be made in writing to Environment Canterbury, referring to Consent No. CRC041068.

ENDS

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