Treatment plant upgrade wins award

WHANGAPAROA, New Zealand, Aug. 16, 2007 -- Rodney District Council's newly upgraded Army Bay Sewage Treatment Plant has won a Silver Award for leading project delivery firm, Sinclair Knight Merz at the recent ACENZ (Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand) Innovate NZ 2007 Awards of Excellence.

The NZ$10 million upgrade includes state-of-the-art features that allow for projected population increases for decades to come, according to Sinclair Knight Merz Project Director, Duncan Kingsbury.

"With the Plant situated at Whangaparoa, environmental considerations were high on the list, with the protection of the Hibiscus Coast's pristine environment, particularly the beaches and ocean, seen as paramount," Kingsbury said.

"Processes were chosen for maximum efficiency, robust performance, ability to produce high quality treated effluent and to provide full treatment of high storm flows, thus providing an economical and sound solution to the disposal of wastewater for Rodney District Council," he said.

The major components of this upgrade included an additional sequential batch reactor with new decanter and aeration system, upgrading of the existing sequential batch reactors, a new grit trap facility and a UV disinfection plant.

By providing conventional equipment with additional features, Sinclair Knight Merz has provided enhanced performance and reliability.

The firm was responsible for the design of the civil, structural mechanical and electrical works; and the associated tendering and letting of the contracts, construction supervision, contract administration assistance, and commissioning of the plant.

The design process which was chosen has formed the basis for the design of three new wastewater treatment plants for Thames Coromandel District Council.

Meantime, Sinclair Knight Merz, in association with Tonkin and Taylor and Works Infrastructure, also picked up an Award of Merit for its design of the Blackpoint Irrigation scheme.

This is one of the largest pumped irrigation schemes in the Southern Hemisphere, intended to ultimately irrigate 20,000 hectares of North Otago farmland.

The innovative scheme, designed for minimal visual impact on its environment, is expected to provide major economic benefits to the local farming community.

The susceptibility of the area to severe droughts has resulted not only in heavy financial losses to farmers and reduction in production, but also a noticeable decline in the rural population.

The outlook for local farmers is bright as the scheme will lead to substantial increases in productivity of the irrigated farms and improve sustainability of the whole region.

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