Around 4 billion litres of drinking water is estimated to have been saved in Metropolitan Wellington.
Around 4 billion litres of water saved thanks to a massive reduction in leaks across the public water network

New figures show daily water loss has dropped by 11 million litres per day – that's four Olympic swimming pools saved every single day, or the daily water use of around 50,000 people. Read more
In this section
Your Water / The Network / Wastewater / Wastewater treatment plants / Lake Ferry Wastewater Treatment

Lake Ferry Wastewater Treatment

At Lake Ferry the wastewater treatment system consists of on-lot septic tanks with effluent filters and a community wastewater treatment plant. At the treatment plant, septic tank effluent flows through a packed bed reactor, a recirculation tank and ultraviolet treatment. Discharge of the treated effluent is managed to either an adjacent block of land by irrigation or to a constructed wetland, depending on the conditions of the Resource Consents.

The plant was granted new consents on 17 June 2005. A change of conditions was granted on 10 January 2011.  These consents will expire on 30 September 2025.

In general, the consents allow SWDC:

  • to discharge treated wastewater to land via an irrigation system at up to a maximum daily flow rate of 200 cubic meters per day and a maximum weekly flow rate of 700 cubic meters per week.
  • to discharge treated wastewater to land at a maximum application rate of 3.0mm/day or up to the field capacity.
  • to discharge treated wastewater to water (wetland) when the field capacity of the irrigation field has been exceeded or when a discharge is required for emergency or maintenance purposes.
  • to discharge contaminants and odours from the collection, treatment and discharge facilities within the site boundary.

Resource Consents

WAR040096 Lake Ferry WWTP Consent Conditions Variation 2011

Plant Performance

 

 

 

 

Current Status: Compliant, but with the risks identified below. 

Period: May 2025

Commentary:

The new resource consent application was submitted this month.

Early conversations suggest that the current scheme will require capital works because of consenting requirements.
More funding is required for the consent 2024-25 renewal project than currently allocated.

The extra funding isrequiredto prepare an adequate application and undertake community consultation.

Items of significance:​

Source of current high inflow and infiltration is still not funded for investigation. Peak loads are near the plant's hydraulic capacity. ​

The treatment process is being tested and assessed for optimised operation.

Plant valving automation is required to better comply with consent discharge requirements; however it is not funded.​

Projects underway:​​

Sodium Bicarbonate dosing improvements.​

Optioneering dripline leaks – some repaired, more require repair.​