Grey District Council commenced construction of an improved wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system around 2004 with a long-term vision of a two-stage plan.
Stage 1 treatment was completed in 2006 with the construction of both the Johnston Street and Cobden screenings and ultra violet (UV) treatment facilities to improve the quality of discharges on both sides of the Grey River.
Stage 2 treatment was the construction project - separation of the existing combined storm water and sewers by installing new wastewater only pipework within the streets and the construction of a new Wastewater Treatment Plant located at Preston Road.
In the middle of the construction of this project Council, in consultation with the affected communities, decided to incorporate the satellite townships of Taylorville, Dobson and Kaiata, which added a further $7m of new infrastructure to the existing $38m project. The combined projects are progressively realising a number of health, cultural, economic and environmental benefits to people who live, work, visit and invest in the District.
Construction was completed in 2015 and marked the end of $45m of expenditure to provide new infrastructure including:
- 65km of new wastewater sewer mains
- 22 new wastewater pump stations
- 870 new access structures/chambers
- A new Wastewater Treatment Plant
- An upgrade to the Johnston Street UV facility
Community benefits
- Successful application for government funding eased the burden for rate payers.
- Improvement in the quality of the Grey River due to a higher level of wastewater treatment prior to discharge.
- The change from land based disposal to piped collection and centralised treatment for the communities of Taylorville, Dobson and Kaiata.
- State of the art wastewater treatment plant produces no sludge, lowering costs now and in the future.
- Elimination of numerous combined overflows with wastewater discharge reduced to a single outfall.
- Improved water quality which will enable more recreational use of the Grey River.
- A new wastewater treatment plant that is future proofed, providing treatment for an equivalent population of 14,000.
Greymouth wastewater system overview
