Ahipara Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Ahipara treatment plant is located on Sandhills Road, Ahipara and has a treatment pond as well as both constructed and natural wetlands which are located 3000 metres further along Sandhills Road.

The plant serves approximately 500 properties including the Ahipara School, the Kaitaia Golf Club, and the Ahipara Holiday Park. On average the plant treats 200 cubic meters of wastewater a day. The treatment plant also takes 10 cubic meters of leachate per day from the closed Ahipara landfill.

Treating the wastewater

Solids are removed from the wastewater before entering the large oxidation pond. In the oxidation pond a combination of sunlight, algae, and microbes perform biological processes which clean the wastewater. Sunlight and time naturally kill off harmful bacteria, while the algae and microbes consume the organic matter in the wastewater.

The treated wastewater is then pumped to the constructed wetlands. Wetland plants use the nutrients in the water to grow at the same time removing nutrients from the wastewater. Lastly, the treated wastewater is discharged into a natural wetland before joining an unnamed tributary of the Wairoa Stream.

Monitoring

The discharges from the treatment plant are authorised by a resource consent. Consent conditions require regular monitoring of the wastewater quality at two locations along the treatment process. Consent conditions also limit the volume and quality of the treated wastewater discharged. You can see a copy of the current resource consent here.