The East Clive domestic wastewater treatment plant is performing extremely well.

General observation is that the effluent quality is superior to what was determined through the pilot trials and this is backed-up by regular testing.

The plant routinely treats up to 25 million litres of wastewater every day discharged from Hastings, Havelock North, Flaxmere and Clive.

Over the winter months and the period up until December there have been very few odour complaints received by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council in relation to odour from the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

Water Services Manager, Brett Chapman, says this is a vast improvement on what was experienced at the same time last year.

“It demonstrates that the additional treatment put in place to minimise odours is working effectively. The addition of permanent covers will provide the added security that any odours which are generated will be contained. This will really put a lid on this issue,” Mr Chapman says.

“Dosing at the plant has been in place since August and we are confident that this dosing will remain effective through the summer period. In addition, treatment of the wastewater in Hastings commenced in October as part of Council’s plan to address odours,” he says.

Permanent dosing stations are being prepared as part of the overall odour treatment plan, complementing the installation of permanent covers on the Bio-Trickling Filter (BTF) tanks.

A contract for the supply, fabrication and installation of permanent covers for the BTF tanks was awarded at the end of October to Australian company Halley & Mellows Pty.

The programme has the delivery of kitset components arriving in the country early next year and once delivery is complete the components will be pre-assembled ready for lifting onto the tanks. The anticipated completion date, including testing and commissioning, is June 2011.

“These light-weight aluminium domes have a low profile, which minimises the additional increase in height of the tanks but fully encloses the area where the majority of odour emissions currently occur,” Mr Chapman says.

HDC has applied to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for a Discharge to Air consent for the discharge of odours from the BTFs and the odour treatment system. This is a requirement under the Regional Resource Management Plan for all activities that have the potential to discharge odours as a result of their activities.

Preparations are also underway for re-consenting the Waste Water Consent in 2014 permitting HDC to continue to discharge both industrial and domestic waste through the outfall. Significant public consultation is required leading up to the application process at the end of 2011.

ENDS

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