Watercare is continuing to progress on the overhaul of Warkworth’s wastewater services with a $300 million program.
Watercare chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera said the community is expected to grow significantly.
“We have a $300m+ infrastructure programme underway that will replace the existing Warkworth Wastewater Treatment Plant – built in 1955 – with a state-of-the-art facility at Snells Beach,” Perera said.
“Construction is progressing well at the new treatment plant, and we’ve already built the ocean outfall that will be used to discharge highly-treated wastewater.”
Perera said the team made significant construction milestones.
“We’re close to completing the Lucy Moore Wastewater Pump Station and are currently tunnelling a transfer pipeline that will take Warkworth’s wastewater from the new pump station to the new Snells Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant,” Perera said.
“We expect to have these projects completed and operational in mid to late 2025.”
Perera said that the plant must continue to meet its resource consent conditions, which are designed to protect the environment.
“Therefore, we’ve asked Auckland Council to temporarily add a condition to resource consents related to building new houses or commercial properties,” Perera said.
“Essentially, people can be granted a consent to move forward with their project, but they cannot connect to the wastewater network until the new Snells Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant is operational.
“We will be honouring our commitments made through existing consents. This means anyone who has an existing resource consent or building consent – with a current commitment of a public wastewater connection – will still be able to connect when they’re ready, provided all relevant consent conditions have been met.”
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