24 hour emergency number: 0800 486 486
General enquiries: (04) 296-4700
Kapiti Coast District Council provides wastewater collection, treatment and disposal for the residents and businesses of the urban communities of Otaki, Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Raumati.
The Council owns and maintains more than 15,000 connections and 5,400 access chambers to 310 kilometres of sewers, which handle a volume of 4025 million litres per year.
The Council’s role is to:
• provide reliable, affordable and environmentally acceptable wastewater collection and disposal systems for the urban communities
• ensure that these systems protect public health and safety as well as the environment, and that they are adequate to meet present and future needs.
Wastewater Services
A sophisticated computerised monitoring and control system is used to manage all treatment plants and pumping stations except for very small pump stations and those with very high storage capacities, which are monitored manually. All major pump stations have emergency standby generators.
Waikanae/Paraparaumu/Raumati
The communities of Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Raumati are served by a single wastewater treatment plant in Paraparaumu, which was upgraded in 2001-2002. At that time the oxidation ponds at Waikanae were closed and all Waikanae wastewater pumped to Paraparaumu for treatment.
There are 13 pumping stations in Waikanae; Paraparaumu and Raumati communities are served by 102 pumping stations.
The Paraparaumu Wastewater Treatment Plant operates a Biological Nutrient Removal process, one of the most advanced treatment processes in New Zealand.
A clarifier at the technologically-advanced Paraparaumu Wastewater Treatment
Plant, working to remove nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater
The Plant deals with increased flows from Waikanae, increased future population growth, and more stringent resource consent conditions for the discharge.
Resource consents were granted for 20 years and expire in 2019.
The beaker on the left contains untreated sewage, while that on the right
contains drinkable water achieved after just one day of treatment
Click here for information about the Paraparaumu Wastewater Treatment Plant
(4 pages, 2.5mb).
Otaki
Otaki is served by 34 sewage pumping stations which discharge water into the Otaki Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Click here for information about the Otaki Wastewater Treatment Plant
(1 page, 44kb).
Aerial view of the Otaki Wastewater Treatment Plant: its oxidation ponds decompose biosolids through natural biological processes
Paekakariki and Rural Areas
The community of Paekakariki uses septic tanks. Rural areas of the District rely on on-site disposal; septic tanks or community package wastewater treatment plants.
Strategic Direction
Local wastewater treatment plants have more than adequate capacity to meet forecasted population growth, but reticulation systems will need upgrading in the future. The Council has installed activated carbon filter units in a number of pump stations to eliminate odour.
It is also commissioning a Sludge Vitrification Plant, which will vitrify dried sludge to an inert glass-like substance. A 100-fold reduction in biosolids volume can be achieved, and odours will be controlled by covers and biofillers.
Drains and Sewers
The Council provides a network of sanitary sewer mains in urban areas.
A building is connected to the sewer main by a 100mm lateral pipe. This pipe is in two parts: the length from the sewer to your property's boundary is owned and maintained by the Council, and the length from the boundary to your house or building is the responsibility of the property owner.
These pipes meet and are connected at an inspection point which is located at or near the property boundary.
If you have a blocked drain:
• call a drainage contractor or drainlayer in the first instance
• have them expose the inspection point on your boundary line and check if it is clear or blocked:
- if it is clear, the blockage is upstream and is the responsibility of the property owner
- if the inspection is blocked it is the Council’s responsibility and the drainlayer must call the Council.
If a blockage is in the Council-owned piping, a Council Service Officer will promptly attend the site, check the blockage and organise to have it cleared.
Providing this procedure is followed the Council will accept reasonable costs incurred by your drainlayer from the time you have called them out. If the procedure is not followed the Council accepts no responsibility for the payment of work carried out by your drainlayer.