New wastewater treatment plant underway

Published on 09 August 2016

9 August 2016

The Whanganui District Council at an extraordinary meeting today confirmed its earlier decision in March to proceed with the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant for the city, bringing to an end several years of deliberations over the best way to replace the existing failed plant, Chief Executive Kym Fell said today.

“The existing plant failed the community since opening in 2007 and council and their advisors have worked tirelessly ever since to find the most affordable, sustainable and reliable replacement scheme to protect the health and wellbeing of residents,” Mr Fell said.

“It is easy with the passage of time to forget the headlines splashed over the national media warning of the foul stench enveloping Whanganui, undermining our civic pride, driving away visitors and denigrating the district in the mind of the wider public.

“Council has wisely and deliberately taken its time in its decision making since then to seek reliable advice as new information has arisen, and although frustrating for some people these delays have been necessary prudent steps toward today’s ultimate final decision.

“Work on the new plant will start immediately and the discharge of untreated waste to the sea will come to an end by early 2019.”

Mr Fell said that the guaranteed maximum price negotiated to build the new plant will deliver to the budget of $41.2 million. The operating costs for wastewater once the new plant is fully commissioned will be $11.3 million a year.

“The pan tax which is currently $351 per pan will increase by $117 to a new rate of $468 per pan in the 2019/20 rates year, subject to Council striking the rates during the annual plan process. Trade waste users will also face an increase in charges but we need to bear in mind that every $1 million of operating costs switched from trade waste users onto residential users results in a $60 a year increase in the pan tax,” Mr Fell said.

“The difficulties forced onto the community by the failure of the existing wastewater plant have meant challenging and expensive decisions have had to be made and with the council decision today to proceed with the new replacement plant we can finally move forward with confidence.”

Mr Fell said he intends to make available to the community further detail on the construction schedule for the new wastewater plant as information becomes available from ongoing discussions with the main contractor Hawkins Infrastructure.

“It is vital that we keep the community well informed as the new plant takes shape so that ratepayers can have increasing confidence in council to get the job done on time and on budget,” Mr Fell said.