Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is asking locals for feedback on its proposal to pump Hāwea’s wastewater to the Project Pure wastewater treatment plant.

The $19.5M Project Pure treatment plant, which first came on line in 2008, treats wastewater throughout the Upper Clutha, except Cardrona which has its own treatment plant.

To connect Hāwea’s wastewater to Project Pure, located beside the Wānaka Airport, a new pipeline would need to be installed between Hāwea and Albert Town.

The council said it plans to present a business case on the Project Pure link to full council for endorsement in the first half of 2022.

The Project Pure wastewater treatment plant near Wānaka Airport. PHOTO: Supplied

“This has been selected as the preferred option because it provides the best balance of environmental, social, cost and resilience benefits,” QLDC said in a statement. 

The existing wastewater treatment plant in Hāwea, built in 1998 and upgraded in 2000, cannot meet demand in the growing town and in 2019 it was found QLDC had been breaching its consent for six years.

The clock has been ticking for the local council to find a solution and the approval of additional subdivisions for the town when the wastewater plant is already overstretched has been criticised by the Hāwea Community Association.

A new pipeline from Hāwea to Project Pure would start at the existing Domain Road pump station site and cross both the Hāwea and Clutha rivers before it could connect to the Albert Town pump station.

The possibility of linking Hāwea to Project Pure was signalled as far back as 2019 when a $5-6M budget was estimated for the project. 

As well as consulting online, QLDC will hold drop-in sessions in January for residents and it says a business case is expected to be presented to full council for endorsement in the first half of 2022.

“Community feedback will be collated and used to help us refine the preferred solution and strengthen the case for this major investment in the Hāwea community,” QLDC said. Public feedback must be submitted  before January 31, 2022.

Project Pure brought an end to the practice of discharging treated wastewater to the Clutha River; instead the treated water is discharged to Wānaka Airport land in an extensive underground soakage network.