114 | Department of Corrections: Whanganui Prison Network Water upgrade COMMUNITY Your trusted water partner. NZ owned and operated for over 90 years ʄWastewater expertise ʄEnvironmental care through stormwater management ʄSafe drinking water for communities fultonhogan.com Water upgardes on track The Whanganui Prison Network Water Infrastructure Upgrade encompasses three packages of work covering wastewater, stormwater, and potable water. T T Karen Phelps A major infrastructure upgrade at Whanganui Prison is improving water quality in nearby lakes and waterways, as part of a nationwide effort to modernise Three Waters systems across New Zealand’s corrections facilities. The Whanganui Prison Network Water Infrastructure Upgrade encompasses three packages of work covering wastewater, stormwater, and potable water, each aimed at bringing the site into compliance with consenting requirements and delivering broader environmental benefits to the region. The programme manager for Three Waters infrastructure at the Department of Corrections, says the work spans multiple interconnected systems. “There are many aspects that go into these projects in prisons.” The stormwater package, which is currently underway, focuses on improving the quality of water entering the neighbouring Pauri and Wiritoa lakes. The programme manager says these lakes hold huge significance to local iwi and hapū and serve as a recreational hub for the wider community. To meet resource consent conditions granted by the Environment Court in October 2022, a stormwater treatment system is being installed to ensure cleaner runoff reaches the lakes. Central to this work is a green water outlet, designed to change the way stormwater discharges into the lakes. The programme manager explains that because much of the runoff flows into lakes situated within a wetland, the installation of the green outlet formed part of both the consenting requirements and agreements reached with iwi. Soak pits have also been installed to alleviate existing flooding issues on site. The stormwater upgrade also includes a harvesting component to capture and reuse stormwater for gardening, nursery operations, and storage in tanks to supply the prison laundry and other facilities. The wastewater project is nearing completion. The existing on-site treatment plant is being decommissioned in favour of a dedicated pump station, with a 9-kilometre pipeline constructed to convey wastewater directly to the municipal treatment plant. Previously the prison relied on four wastewater settlement ponds and, with a larger pump and additional piping now in place, two of those ponds are being decommissioned. The programme manager says the rectification work ensures both statutory compliance and the remediation of ageing assets. The third package, covering potable water, has recently received approval and is yet to begin. Whanganui Prison currently treats and stores drinking water drawn from underground aquifers. The planned upgrade will modernise the treatment and reticulation system through the introduction of UV treatment, flow monitoring, and backflow prevention, bringing it into line with recently updated standards. Taken together, the programme manager says the three packages will mean better quality water entering local waterways and a reduced risk of contamination from prison runoff, a benefit for both the environment and the surrounding community.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=