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Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant

At the Moa Point Treatment Plant, sewage travels through a series of screens, tanks, bioreactors, clarifiers and ultraviolet treatments before being discharged as liquid into Cook Strait.

It was granted new consents on 11 May 2009. These consents will continue for 25 years (expire 11 May 2034).

In general, the consents allow WCC:

  • to continuously discharge up to 260,000 cubic meters per day of treated and disinfected wastewater into the coastal marine area via an existing submarine outfall,
  • to discharge up to 4500 litres per second of mixed disinfected, treated and milli-screened wastewater to the coastal marine area during and/or immediately after heavy rainfall, when the quantity of wastewater arriving at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant exceeds 3000 litres per second,
  • to occupy the foreshore and seabed of the coastal marine area with an existing submarine outfall pipeline,
  • to continuously discharge contaminants (including odour) to air from the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant ventilation system.

Resource consents

Resource consent reports

Plant performance



Current Status:
 Non-compliant 
Period: September 2024

Commentary​

The plant remains non-compliant for suspended solids (90th percentile limit) and faecal coliforms (90-day geomean and 90th percentile limits). Steps to fix this are being undertaken. However, breakdowns and planned maintenance work have delayed a return to compliance. 

Discharges

There was one consented wet weather discharge on 16 September.

Odour

No odour complaints in September.



Items of significance:

Effluent Compliance​

The third clarifier coming back into service is expected to improve the biological process, although this change will be gradual as the process stabilises. The current daily results are trending back into compliance by end of November for both the 90-day geomean and 90th percentile limits.

Daily results for faecal coliforms show spikes in results which is affecting the 90-day geomean and 90th percentile limits and are being investigated.

Inlet Pump Station (IPS) Project 

Physical works for the third and final phase of the IPS project is due to commence in October. The remaining four of 10 riser pipes replaced and will strengthen the IPS’s resilience for high rainfall events.

Public meeting resources