The Eketāhuna wetlands were blessed and commissioned last week, marking the start of a natural and sustainable approach to treating the town’s wastewater.

What was once a rubbish dump on the edge of Eketāhuna is now playing a vital role in cleaning the town’s wastewater thanks to a clever system that uses soil, native plants, and microorganisms to filter the wastewater before it flows into the Makakahi River.

"This was a real team effort,” says Hamish Featonby, Council’s Group Manager Operations.

“It took collaboration between Council, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Horizons Regional Council, the Eketāhuna Golf Club, and engineers of Max Tarr, HES and Tonkin&Taylor to bring this project to life."

“By using a natural solution to treat the wastewater, we’re reducing costs as there’s less reliance on expensive chemicals, and we’re also supporting native plant and animal life at the same time,” he explains.

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Photo: Showing the system installed at the new wetlands site.

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As part of the new system, a floating pontoon pump was installed on the Eketāhuna wastewater pond, with underground pipes leading to the wetlands. The water is moved through a combination of pumping (rising main) and gravity, allowing it to flow from the treatment pond into the wetlands before it goes into the Makakahi River. For the project, land was purchased off the Eketāhuna Golf Club.

Mike Dunn, Council’s Three Waters Manager explains that “the wetlands project is part of a bigger push to improve Eketāhuna’s wastewater system. Along with the wetlands, work is underway to stop excess stormwater from entering the wastewater system. These improvements will help the whole system run more efficiently, especially during heavy rain.”

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Photo: An illustration of the site layout.

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