Water  |  2 Apr 2024

Share this story

A corner of the Childrens Bay boat park in Akaroa will close at the end of June 2024 as the Christchurch City Council prepares to build a new wastewater pump station.

The council has put a notice up at the site asking owners of any boats, trailers or other equipment stored in the area marked on the map to move them out of the way.

Head of Three Waters, Brent Smith, says the pump station is an essential aspect of the new Akaroa wastewater scheme.

The new $74 million wastewater scheme involves building a new treatment plant on Old Coach Road, a new pump station at the Childrens Bay boat park, upgrading the network of pipes and connections and using treated recycled wastewater to irrigate new plantings of native trees at Hammond Point and Robinsons Bay.

Mr Smith says consents are approved for many aspects of the scheme, including building the new pump station. Council has submitted a resource consent application to Environment Canterbury (ECan) for the irrigation of treated wastewater to land.

“Although we’re waiting on resource consent for that final part of the scheme, we have to get started on the other work – the pump station and the treatment plant – because our consent to discharge treated wastewater to Akaroa Harbour will expire in May 2030.”

Mr Smith says the geotechnical investigations at the Childrens Bay boat park will inform the design of the new pump station. He expects construction to be under way by the end of 2025.

Visit the council’s project webpage for more information or to sign up to receive email updates.