3 year plan for ponds

An activated sludge reactor will replace the fire-damaged trickling filters at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant to fix long-standing odour issues impacting local residents.

Christchurch City Council and its insurer have settled an $85 million insurance claim following the fire in 2021, which destroyed two trickling filters at the plant in Bromley. The filters were a critical part of the sewage treatment process, and the damage impacted the treatment process causing major odour issues that have affected the local community.

Mayor Phil Mauger said this milestone allows the council to move forward with building both a more resilient and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment plant for the city. “From the day the fire started, the community has been impacted by the loss of these trickling filters, the stench caused by the interim solution was unbearable.”

“It has been an incredibly distressing time for locals, and we acknowledge this has been a lengthy process. While confidentiality was necessary throughout the negotiations, it resulted in uncertainty for the community over a permanent solution to the fire damage,” he adds.

Design work is underway and expected to take up to three years to get the sludge reactors up and running. The current estimate cost is $140 million, which will likely be refined following detailed design. Funding is included in the Long Term Plan so there will be no impact on rates.

Timeline
• Design – underway, one year
• Construction – two years
• Interim operations will continue during construction
• The reactor will be commissioned
• Interim operations conclude