New back-up equipment has been installed at the Motueka Wastewater Treatment Plant to help it manage high pond water volumes.
The new ultraviolet treatment system is designed to help deal with situations that happen, often during storms and high rainfall, when high volumes of water coming into the system overwhelm the plant’s filter membrane system.
When this increase in water volumes happens, in the worst-case scenario the ponds can overflow uncontrollably. Even if it doesn’t overflow that high water level can damage the pond walls.
The new ultraviolet reactor will be used to treat the additional volumes of partially treated wastewater to further reduce the loads of bugs like faecal coliforms, E-coli and Enterococci.
This water will then be discharged into the old back-up infiltration beds next to the plant.
The new equipment is currently going through its commissioning process to ensure all components work as they should, with samples being taken to measure the effectiveness of the UV process.
This means during the test run we are running treated wastewater into the infiltration area which as a precaution people should avoid contact with the area until further notice.
Once we get the all clear from the test results, we will use the new UV system to lower the extremely high levels currently in the ponds which was caused by the last two heavy rain events.
This means that again people should stay away from the overflow area next to the ponds until the all clear is given.