Making the Wastewater Treatment Plant less stinky
Can you smell the wastewater treatment plant on Kioreroa Road? đ·
We've got a plan to make it less smelly: covers and odour treatment systems (bio filters) will be installed around the four stinkiest parts of the plant between now and September 2025. What are those 4 parts? Buckle up.
đ© 1: the inlet works (where the untreated sewage comes in for treating), screenings bin (where the lumps go, including old barbie dolls and false teeth)
đ· 2: the sludge thickener tanks (that reduce the water in the sludge prior to disposal)
đ« 3: the sludge holding tanks (exactly what they sound like)
đđ 4. the snail bin. The water treatment plant has four large trickling filters - large round bins filled with granite rock. The wastewater trickles over the rocks and the algae growing on them. The algae take massive amounts of nutrients out of the wastewater and clean it up. Itâs a very robust and natural process, accelerated by engineering and technology.
The algae attract small snails (3mm), which just love the environment in the trickling filter â it is wet and full of food. The snails grow there by the billions. Every now and then, a few snails are swept out with the wastewater and are filtered out before the water goes to further cleaning.
Those âfew snailsâ however, add up to 2-3 cubic metres per week. We put them in our snail bin and empty it weekly. However, this is long enough for it to over-power all the other smells in the wastewater treatment plant.
The Summer Kiwi Quiz is back by popular demand
Grab a copy of your local Stuff newspaper between 1 Jan - 28 Jan and participate in the Summer Kiwi Quiz! Test your knowledge, answer the daily New Zealand based questions, and find out how well you know our beautiful country!
Each correct answer will get you one entry into the draw to WIN 1 of 5 Ooni Karu 2 Portable Pizza Oven bundles, valued at $1024! Each bundle includes: an Ooni Karu 2 Multi-Fuel Portable Pizza Oven, Ooni Karu 2 Carry Cover, Ooni 12" Perforated Peel, Ooni Digital Infrared Thermometer and an Ooni Cookbook: Cooking with Ooni. The more answers you enter correctly, the higher your chance of winning. For more information and to submit your answers, click here
The Team at Stuff
Poll: Do you set New Yearâs resolutions?
đ 2026 is almost here!
Weâre curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
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10.4% Yes! New Year, New Me
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19.9% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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69.7% Nah - not for me
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new âDecember bonusesâ or âbenefit increasesâ
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
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