Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant (new consent application)
We’re seeking a new consent for the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant on behalf of the South Wairarapa District Council.
If you have any questions about this work, please contact:
Wellington Water, 04 912 4400
Latest Updates
Greater Wellington Regional Council is now inviting public submissions on the Resource Consent Application.
We are expecting public consultation to open on the new resource consent for the Featherston wastewater treatment plant early October.
Work continues on the new resource consent, along with water quality monitoring and a pilot trial of a new water clarification technology.
Have Your Say
Greater Wellington Regional Council is inviting public submissions on the Resource Consent Application from 2-31 October 2024.
View the Have Your Say menu to learn about:
- How to provide feedback
- Public events where you and find out more about the proposal and talk to the project team.
Greater Wellington Regional Council is inviting submissions on the Resource Consent Application from 2-31 October 2024. Visit the Have Your Say tab to find out more.
Wellington Water is seeking a consent for the Featherston wastewater treatment plant on behalf of the South Wairarapa District Council.
We came on board in 2020 to support the Council in achieving its regulatory and strategic objectives for future management of Featherston’s wastewater.
Why?
The wastewater treatment plant needs a new consent to allow continued discharge of wastewater to Donalds Creek. An application for this was lodged with Greater Wellington Regional Council in May 2023. We are currently working through a section 92 (s92) request from the Council under the Resource Management Act for further information about the application. This is a normal part of the resource consenting process.
The Proposal
The proposal is to undertake a series of upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant along with installing a constructed wetland and vegetated land contact area and implementing land treatment through a land application system trial, to improve the wastewater effluent discharge quality.
An initial short-term (likely 10 year) resource consent is being sought from Greater Wellington Regional Council to continue to discharge treated wastewater to Donalds Creek. This will give the South Wairarapa District Council sufficient time to implement the upgrades, to test and refine the land application system prior to further expansion of the land treatment area and to inform the long-term wastewater treatment solution.
The monitoring and testing of these upgrades will help inform the long-term investment and support the transition to full land-based treatment over time.
While affordability is a big factor, this needs to be balanced with environmental, cultural and social outcomes. That is why the proposal provides for testing and monitoring that takes place throughout the initial consent period, which will then inform the long-term approach to treatment options and investment.
The proposal includes:
- Upgrading and improving the performance of the existing plant through introduction of inlet screening and pond upgrades
- New clarification treatment process to reduce suspended solids in the wastewater discharge
- Land application system trial
- Introducing a wetland and vegetated discharge area to provide additional polishing of treated effluent prior to being discharged into Donalds Creek.
You can download a PDF of the diagram below here
Wider context
This proposal is also part of a wider programme of operational and project investments by the South Wairarapa District Council helping address a range of water network issues impacting the Featherston community.
Addressing the wastewater treatment plant issues will benefit the wider South Wairarapa community, with the improved environmental outcomes and catering for growth in the region and confirmation of technology and natural-based solutions that could be installed at other points in the network if proven to work.
Reports (Monthly/Quarterly) 2022-2024
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Project Report - June/July 2024
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Project Report - April - May 2024
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Quarterly Report Dec 2023 - March 2024
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Monthly Report September -November 2023
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Monthly Report August t 2023
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Monthly Report July 2023
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent - Monthly Report (30 June 2022)
Featherston Wastewater Treatment plant consent monthly report September 2022
Community updates and information panels
Open for submissions
Greater Wellington Regional Council is inviting public submissions on the Resource Consent Application for the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant i from 2 October until 5pm 31 October 2024.
The proposal will improve the performance of the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant and provide better environmental outcomes by:
- Upgrading and improving the performance of the existing wastewater treatment plant through upgrading inlet screens and equipment in the oxidation pond
- Introducing a new clarification system such as a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) to reduce sediment and contaminants in the wastewater.
- Introducing a constructed wetland and revegetated area to further enhance the quality of the treated wastewater before discharging to Donalds Creek.
Additionally, it will allow time to trial and implement a land application process using trickle irrigation to distribute treated wastewater without causing spray drift. This will reduce the volume of treated wastewater reaching Donalds Creek and Lake Wairarapa.
For more detail on the proposal, you can view this information sheet
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Resource Consent - Information Sheet
How to Have Your Say
You can view the resource consent application and make a submission at www.haveyoursay.gw.govt.nz/featherston-wwtp
Please also send a copy of your submission to fwtp@wellingtonwater.co.nz
If you want to find out more, have questions or just want to chat to the project team, we will be hosting a series of public events:
- Thursday 17 October, public drop-in event - 3.30pm to 6.30pm ANZAC Hall, 62-64 Bell Street, Featherston
- Sunday 20 October, public drop-in event 2pm-4pm Featherston Community Centre, 14 Wakefield Street, Featherston
- Tuesday 22 October webinar from 6pm -7pm. To register email fwtp@wellingtonwater.co.nz and we will send you a link.
All Updates
Public submissions are open from 2-31 October 2024. You can view the Resource Consent Application and make your submission at:
www.haveyoursay.gw.govt.nz/featherston-wwtp
If you want to find out more, have questions or just want to chat to the project team, come along to one of public events:
- Thursday 17 October, public drop-in event - 3.30pm to 6.30pm ANZAC Hall, 62-64 Bell Street, Featherston
- Sunday 20 October, public drop-in event 2pm-4pm Featherston Community Centre, 14 Wakefield Street, Featherston
- Tuesday 22 October webinar from 6pm -7pm. To register email fwtp@wellingtonwater.co.nz and we will send you a link.
On behalf of South Wairarapa District Council, we submitted an application for a new resource consent for the Featherston wastewater treatment plant with Greater Wellington Regional Council in May 2023.
We have since completed our responses to GWRC's requests for further information (S.92 RMA). This has included running a successful pilot trial of a new clarification system using Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) at the treatment plant during in summer 2024. We submitted results to GWRC in May 2024.
We are now expecting GWRC to publicly notify the consent application early October, allowing people to have their say on the proposal by making a submission.
We will provide updates once timing is confirmed, along with information on how people can have their say and public events where people can find out more and ask questions about the proposal.
On 1 May 2023, Wellington Water lodged the new resource consent application for the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant with Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), on behalf of the South Wairarapa District Council.
On 11 July 2023, GWRC issued a further information request under section 92 (s92) of the Resource Management Act. A s92 request for information is a normal part of the resource consenting process. Since July, Wellington Water has responded to the majority of s92 questions. Following discussions and engagement with GWRC, further work will be undertaken this summer to inform the responses to remaining questions within s92. This additional work includes further water quality monitoring to take place this summer, with final data analysis and modelling to be presented to GWRC by May 2024.
While we complete water quality monitoring, we’ll also trial a pilot Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit. This water clarification technology is proposed as part of the upgrades to the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant. A DAF assists with the removal of suspended solids and other
chemicals in the wastewater, improving the level of treatment the wastewater receives prior to being discharged to the environment.
Waipawa Wastewater Treatment Plant DAF Plant
The trial will provide valuable data regarding the effectiveness of this treatment technology for the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant conditions. This data will allow us to further refine the technical assessment and assumptions made around wastewater quality. It will also improve understanding of the potential environmental effects of the wastewater discharge on Donald’s Creek when a new clarification plant is installed.
Once this work is complete and the full response to the s92 is submitted to GWRC, the application will be publicly notified by GWRC. At this time, the community will have the opportunity to have their say through a submission process. Here is a link to more information about the resource
consent process: Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant Consenting Process
We thank the community and our mana whenua iwi partners who have provided significant and critical input into the consent application so far. The installation of treatment technologies and natural-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands and land treatment along with upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, are aimed at addressing operational issues which once implemented will benefit the South Wairarapa community through improved environmental outcomes.
On 1 May 2023, we lodged the new resource consent for the Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant with Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), on behalf of the South Wairarapa District Council.
As agreed with GWRC, the 1 May 2023 lodgment date was an extension on the original January 2023, which has allowed time for further summer monitoring, testing of groundwater and further collaboration with iwi on the wetland concept that is proposed as part of the consent.
We are now working with GWRC to discuss any questions and provide clarifications. In due course the consent will be publicly notified by them, and the community will have the opportunity to have their say.
Thanks are due to the community and to mana whenua for their significant and critical input into development of the proposed consent. It has been a long time coming and lodgment of the consent, marks the beginning of positive changes.
Addressing the wastewater treatment plant issues will benefit the wider South Wairarapa community, by improving environmental outcomes, enabling regional growth, and testing of technology and natural-based solutions that could be installed at other locations in the future.
Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has agreed for the new resource consent application for the Featherston wastewater treatment plant to be lodged in May.
The consent was due to be lodged in January 2023.
However, following consultation with the regional council, it will be lodged at the end of March to allow for further summer monitoring and testing of groundwater and further co-design of the wetland that is proposed as part of the consent.
Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant - Actual and predicted population growth
Wellington Water is jointly owned by a number of councils, including South Wairarapa District Council (SWDC) since October 2019. Wellington Water’s role includes managing wastewater services, aiming to deliver through the
shared service approaches, cost savings, resilience and expertise benefits to councils and their communities. The project aims to consider and identify the preferred option to improve the management of Featherston’s wastewater disposal. We want to achieve this goal through thorough consultation and collaboration with the community and stakeholders
Featherston Wastewater Network - Community open day
Community open day - the ideas.