Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plant Contamination Investigations

When the Rotorua Lakes Council needed to obtain resource consents regarding future operations and upgrades at the Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plant, they brought us in to help them navigate the Resource Management Act (RMA) planning process. Aiming to treat current and future inflows to the plant more effectively, they needed to upgrade their existing process units and construct additional ones. The challenge? The resource consents needed to be achieved within a specific timeframe to support the upgrades, aligning with capital expenditures and contract awarding.

Over the course of four years, we carried out sampling, testing, and analysis of the main site and sites of operation, acting as a trusted advisor to the client for both the RMA planning aspects and the requirements for operating and managing work in contaminated areas. Because of the variable nature of possible consenting pathways for the plant and the upgrade, the timing got close—but with a collaborative and solid team of environmental scientists and project leaders, we were able to meet the critical deadline pressure.

Consents for the Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plant are now in place, and our client can move forward with their upgrades as planned—upgrades that will better manage the discharge of nutrients and deliver improved environmental outcomes through better wastewater quality.