South Waikato District Council

Putaruru WWTP Consent Upgrades

The SWDC Putāruru Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is located on Meadow Street, Putāruru and discharges into the Oraka Stream.

The WWTP was constructed in the 1950’s to treat wastewater from the Putāruru Township. The WWTP was originally designed to provide Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) treatment and performs well in this respect. Additional upgrades have been undertaken including the installation of an ultraviolet (UV) unit in 2001 to reduce pathogenic content in the effluent, and a drum filter in 2007 to support the UV unit.

SWDC has received a renewed consent for discharge to the Oraka Stream at the Putāruru WWTP for a period of 35 years. The renewed consent has several new conditions attached of which the most immediate condition relates to a reduction in nitrogen limits in the discharge to the Oraka Stream to 12kg/day from 1 June 2026.

An options assessment report was prepared, and this was subsequently peer reviewed. Two options were considered - conversion to MLE process and construction of a MBR plant. The preferred solution from the study was conversion to a MLE process. This options report was used as the base for the new consent application and on which the new consent was issued.