Taupō Wastewater Treatment Plant celebrates 50th anniversary

Familiar faces, councillors, and a homemade cake were on hand last week at the Taupō Wastewater Treatment Plant to celebrate 50 years of looking after the place we love.

Three Waters Manager Kevin Sears said the plant, originally built in 1974, had undergone several changes, challenges and upgrades over time, including narrowly escaping a scrub fire in 2022.

"The plant handles all the wastewater from Taupō, Nukuhau and the Jarden Mile area as far south as Waitahanui with an average daily flow of 6000 cubic metres. In peak times, that can rise to around 9000 cubic metres," he said.

Everything coming in is screened, goes into two sedimentation tanks and the solids are separated and sent to digester tanks where the bacteria do their thing. That is the most closely monitored part of the process, as maintaining the right environment for the bacteria is crucial.

"We like to think we have it down to a fine art as from those 6000 cubic metres, we are only left with about one cubic metre of solids that cannot be treated."

About five to six cubic metres of biological solids are sent to the worm farm to be turned into topsoil each day. The remaining water is filtered and purified in ponds before being sent to two farms at Rakaunui Road and View Road, where it’s used to irrigate hay crops.

"Because it is so rich in nutrients we can get five crops a year instead of the normal two, and that hay is used to feed non-lactating animals. So it’s a very environmentally friendly process and the revenue from the hay and worm farm help to offset costs."

Deputy Mayor Kevin Taylor thanked Mr Sears for the team’s fantastic work – and Mrs Sears for a fantastic cake.

"The team at the treatment plant really are unsung heroes," he said.

"They don’t have a high profile, but they do an amazing job, all day, every day, that deserves the thanks of literally everyone in our community."

Mr Taylor also noted the community could help the team out by not flushing things like wet wipes down the toilet.

"Wipes continue to be the biggest headache for the treatment plant so come on folks, do the right thing and don’t flush them. The packets may say the wipes are biodegradable, but they clog up the pumps, which then have to be cleared by hand – and no one wants that job."