Port of Tauranga has launched a new stormwater treatment system at its Mount Maunganui wharves.
Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair, Matemoana McDonald, cut the ribbon on the facility at a ceremony yesterday attended by Port leaders, local government, iwi and business representatives.
Port of Tauranga Chief Executive, Leonard Sampson, said the new stormwater treatment system is the port’s biggest infrastructure project to date to improve water quality.
“While the port continues to comply with its resource consent conditions, we pride ourselves on doing more than simply what is required. Our new stormwater treatment system is an example of this approach,” he said.
“Our team monitors both stormwater and harbour water to gather data and identify opportunities for improvement, which has resulted in several initiatives and infrastructure upgrades at our Mount Maunganui wharves to prevent contaminants entering Te Awanui Tauranga harbour.”
Mr Sampson said over recent years the port has increased its use of vacuum sweeper trucks, installed large filtration chambers to screen solids like bark and installed fender plates along the wharf edge to cover gaps between the wharves and working bulk vessels, to prevent solids falling into the water.
“This new stormwater treatment infrastructure launched today represents another step up in our efforts to improve water quality.
“It has been a substantial undertaking for our business, and from conception, to design, then building and testing, our people have worked hard to find solutions and ensure the success of this important project.
“Our electrical team has even built a substation to house the switchboard for the entire treatment system, which can be operated remotely and all aspects of its performance monitored in real time.”
Port of Tauranga Environmental Manager, Joey McKenzie, initiated the idea for the system. During the research phase of the project, automated sampling machines were used to collect stormwater throughout multiple rain events.
“Through sampling we could identify the ‘first flush’, which is the dirtiest part of stormwater at the start of a rain event,” he said.
“This new infrastructure means we can now capture the first flush and pump it into our custom-built above-ground tank that holds up to one million litres of water. At maximum volume this would take 24 hours to treat through the clarifier, with the cleaned water then flowing through to Te Awanui.”
Regional Council Chair, Matemoana McDonald, congratulated the port for its investment in infrastructure that would directly contribute to better environmental protection for the harbour.
“Water quality is vitally important, and the Regional Council is grateful for the port’s work to continuously improve the health of Te Awanui,” she said.
