Wastewater

24 hour emergency number: 0800 486 486

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.

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.

• 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).

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

My drain’s blocked – What can I do?

The Council gets a number of letters from people asking for reimbursement for costs for work done to unblock their sanitary sewer pipes, known as laterals. These people are requesting reimbursement because the drain clearer has told them the blockage was in the part of the lateral, beyond the boundary, that is the Council’s responsibility. Unfortunately, the Council has no knowledge of the problem, has not authorised any work, and therefore does not wish to pay any costs.

What to do if you have a blocked sewer lateral?

The Council provides a network of sanitary sewer mains in the urban areas. A building is connected to the sewer by a 100mm lateral. The lateral is in two parts. The length from the sewer to the property boundary is owned and maintained by the Council. The length from the building to the boundary is the responsibility of the property owner. These pipes meet and are connected at the inspection point which is located at or near the boundary.

If you have a blocked drain, call a drain clearer (under drain laying & clearing in the telephone directory). All drain clearers known to the Council have been informed of the correct procedure to follow when called to a blocked drain. The procedure is:

• Expose the inspection on the boundary and check to see 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 drain clearer must call the Council. A Council serviceman will come immediately and check the blockage and organise to have it cleared. This is almost always done using the drain clearer who is already on site, however, if the blockage requires more resources than the drain clearer can provide, the Council may take over the control of the job.
• If the drain clearer cannot find the inspection after two hours, they are to notify Council Operations Department who will check for further information on the property or use the Council CCTV camera to locate the lateral.
• If this procedure is followed the Council will pay a maximum of $250 to the drain clearer for the time they are called out by the property owner.
• If the procedure is not followed the Council will not accept any costs and the property owner must decide whether or not to pay the drain clearer.

It is a good idea to look through the telephone directory, locate a drain clearer, and transfer their contact number to your list of emergency contacts. Then if you have a blockage you know who to call and how to reach them. If possible find a drain clearer you know who does good work, and get an estimate of costs before agreeing to any work.