52 | CONTRACTING Apex Water Russell Fredric Water upgrade for Cardrona Village Apex Water was engaged to design and construct a new $7 million wastewater treatment plant on a greenfield site in the Cardrona Valley. Proud to be associated with Apex Water THE SMARTEST WAY TO HEAT WATER Reliably supplies all your hot water requirements - 24/7, all year, all weathers. Saves up to 85% on water heating costs and is an environmentally sustainable and responsible choice. No maintenance, totally fit and forget system. Compatible with PV to maximise free energy use. High quality engineering from a proven and recognised world leader in solar thermodynamic manufacturing. Installation and technical support throughout NZ. alternative energy COMPANY LTD THE 03 540 3003 info@taec.co.nz www.taec.co.nz Timaru-based Apex Water has experienced massive growth over the past decade on the back of its depth of expertise in the design and build of water and wastewater systems. Since it was established by directors Steve Kroening and Matt Savage in 2009, the company has expanded to employ 40 staff based in Timaru, Christchurch and Auckland to achieve outstanding outcomes across a wide range of industries and sectors throughout New Zealand. Apex Water’s team of project management professionals comprises chartered engineers across process, civil and mechanical disciplines, draughtsmen, site engineers and support staff. The company’s expertise in wastewater includes pH correction, physio-chemical and biological treatments, solids dewatering, chemical containment and dosing, while water treatment expertise includes filtration, chlorination, ultraviolet and reverse osmosis systems. In 2019 Apex Water was engaged by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) to design and construct a new $7 million wastewater treatment plant on a greenfield site in the Cardrona Valley to service Cardrona Village, Cardrona Alpine Resort and a new residential and commercial development. The turnkey project involved considerable earthworks to enable construction in an old quarry, the construction of partially buried treatment tanks and a building to provide spaces for electrical equipment, process plant, dewatering equipment and staff amenities including a control room and laboratory. The treatment process utilises a sequencing batch reactor to provide a high level of flexibility with seasonal loads, with ultraviolet treatment prior to discharge via a land treatment area. Site landscaping, fencing and driveways were also completed. A key design consideration was the treatment of peak wastewater volumes during winter when temperatures can be extremely cold as well as having to build the plant to importance level 3 for earthquake resilience. “It’s quite an elaborate structure, there’s a ton of concrete and reinforcing in it,” Steve says. The plant was commissioned in September 2020 and a feature of Apex’s contract, and a first, is to operate it for a fixed term. “We are operating it for three years; the asset is going to be vested in QLDC, but we are operating it until they go to the market for their new district-wide maintenance provider.” The alpine winter environment required some innovation for the plant to be able to operate efficiently. “Peak wastewater into the plant coincides with the winter ski season so we are getting maximum loading on the plant when everything’s coldest. “Because of the particularly cold climate in this area, especially the water that is reticulated down the hill from the ski-field’s wastewater storage pond, temperature of the wastewater is a key design consideration. To accommodate this, we carried out several design measures such as allowance for bio-support media and a solar thermodynamic heating system that can very efficiently heat the water, even at night.” Apex Water’s ability to deliver wastewater and drinking water design and build solutions of varying complexity as well as the option of operating a plant has become a strong suit for the business, Steve says. Municipal wastewater treatment plants in New Zealand vary greatly and Steve believes that nationally there has been under-investment in both wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. With its expertise well-established, Apex Water is extremely well placed to meet the demand of future water and wastewater plant upgrades and replacements under the proposed changes to regulatory framework. In addition to working with local authorities, Apex Water provides its services to the food and beverage sector as well as property developers who require on-site drinking water and wastewater treatment systems. “There’s not many companies that have the breadth of design and build expertise that we have, so we do find ourselves in an enviable position.”
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