Small communities face big bills to upgrade wastewater treatment plants

Small communities face big bills to upgrade wastewater treatment plants.

Many small communities face big bills to upgrade their wastewater facilities, says a new report.

The cost of upgrading wastewater facilities to meet freshwater standards is between $1.4 billion and $2.1 billion says a report commissioned by the Department of Internal Affairs as part of its "Three Waters Review".

The "three waters" refers to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

The region with the biggest cost was Manawatu-Wanganui ($330m-$500m), followed by Waikato ($240m-$360m) and Wellington ($130m-$200m).

The report, by Boffa Miskell and GHD, said there are 321 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in New Zealand, of which 152 discharge into freshwater, serving 644,900 people.

About 60 per cent of the treatment plants discharging into freshwater used waste stabilisation pond technology, which is relatively poor compared to modern technology.

The report said 82 per cent of the treatment plants requiring upgrading served populations of less than 5000.

The average cost of upgrading wastewater treatment plants would be $1138 per household over 25 years, but in communities of fewer than 500 people, the cost would increase to $3576, the report said.

Water New Zealand chief executive John Pfahlert said these costs are alarming because many councils currently failed to meet their existing discharge consents, let alone new freshwater management requirements.

"Improving the quality of wastewater to an acceptable standard will be even more costly than fixing our drinking water system," he said.

Pfahlert said there is a serious need to find an equitable ways to share the costs across communities, saying Water New Zealand would urge the Government to address the issue as part of its wider three waters reforms.

Local Government New Zealand president Dave Cull said small communities required help to pay for upgrades.

"We have long been calling for the Government to put in place targeted support for small communities struggling to pay for water infrastructure replacements, particularly as their ratings base shrinks due to ageing and urbanisation," Cull said.