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Knowledge Hub / The Network / Wastewater / Wastewater treatment plants / Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant

Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant

At the Moa Point Treatment Plant, sewage travels through a series of screens, tanks, bioreactors, clarifiers and ultraviolet treatments before being discharged as liquid into Cook Strait.

It was granted new consents on 11 May 2009. These consents will continue for 25 years (expire 11 May 2034).

In general, the consents allow WCC:

  • to continuously discharge up to 260,000 cubic meters per day of treated and disinfected wastewater into the coastal marine area via an existing submarine outfall,
  • to discharge up to 4500 litres per second of mixed disinfected, treated and milli-screened wastewater to the coastal marine area during and/or immediately after heavy rainfall, when the quantity of wastewater arriving at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant exceeds 3000 litres per second,
  • to occupy the foreshore and seabed of the coastal marine area with an existing submarine outfall pipeline,
  • to continuously discharge contaminants (including odour) to air from the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant ventilation system.

Resource consents

Resource consent reports

Plant performance


Current Status: Non-compliant 
Period: April 2025

 

Commentary​

Daily effluent results are compliant with the daily limits. Daecal coliforms remain non-compliant for the 90th percentile limit but trends project this parameter to move into compliance soon.

Discharges

There were three unconsented discharges via the Long Outfall in April due to wet weather and the reduced treatment capacity of the plant from the clarifier renewal works.

Odour

There were 8 odour complaints in April. One relating to Moa Point and seven relating to the Southern Landfill site and Careys Gully Sludge Dewatering plant.

Items of significance: 

Clarifier #1 Renewal Project 

Physical works on the clarifier are progressing well; the project reached a major milestone in April when the replacement main bearing was lifted into position. With two of three clarifiers in operation, processing capacity is reduced.

Odour Management System 

An investigation is underway into the decreased performance of the chemical scrubber system during the summer months. The plant recorded non-compliant results for Total Reduced Sulphur (TRS) during this period.

Community Liaison Group (CLG) Meeting

The annual CLG to report on plant performance and consent compliance to the community took place on 16 April. The meeting minutes will be publicly available on the Wellington Water website in May.

Public meeting resources