Multi-Million Dollar Subsidy for Kihikihi Wastewater

Waipa District Council has received confirmation of a $3 million subsidy from the Ministry of Health for the wastewater reticulation of Kihikihi township. The Council applied to the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme in February for a subsidy towards the project's total cost of $6M. The level of subsidy confirmed represents the maximum available. In order to qualify under the subsidy scheme it had to demonstrate that a major public and environmental health risk existed says Waipa District Council's Policy & Strategy Manager Ross McNeil.

"The Government's requirements for subsidy support are primarily based on providing clear evidence of risk to human health and a commitment to provide the funding balance from the community. Council prepared a very detailed application and the granting of the subsidy indicates both Council's and the Government's recognition of the importance of this project for the Kihikihi community"

While the reintroduction of the Central Government Wastewater subsidy allowed Waipa District Council the opportunity to apply for assistance with funding the Kihikihi scheme, the Council had signaled a commitment to proceed with the project, recognising an urgent need to address septic tank failures and the potential for public health and environmental harm. For many years Council has sought to undertake this work but found a cost effective solution elusive. The reintroduction of the subsidy scheme this year is very timely, and the subsidy provided will greatly ease the funding required from the community.

Kihikihi is currently served by individual septic tanks systems, many of which date back three or four decades. In 1999 a comprehensive assessment of septic tank systems was completed and, in order to quantify the level of public health risk, monitoring of surface watercourses within the town was undertaken over a two-year period. This study showed that a high proportion of systems were not operating effectively, and wastewater reticulation was the best option.

Waipa District Council has been proactive over the last six years in dealing with the environmental issues related to wastewater collection and disposal within the District. Current works include a five million dollar upgrade to the Te Awamutu Wastewater Treatment Plant - scheduled for commissioning next month. The Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant has also had a significant upgrade completed within this period.

To ensure a high level of community involvement and to assist with direct communication with Kihikihi residents, the Council invited a number of key community representatives to form a Community Liaison Group for this project. While only minor disruption to the community is expected during construction the Waipa District Council wanted to ensure a high level of consultation and communication with the community throughout the duration of the project. The Liaison Group acts as a direct communication link between the Project Management Team and the residents and ratepayers of Kihikihi.

Preliminary design work has been undertaken, and Council engineers and contractors have recently completed site survey work to identify the location of all septic tanks in the town. This will allow for detailed drawings and specifications to be prepared for the tendering process scheduled for next year.

Preliminary designs for Kihikihi reticulation indicate the following:
Average flow: 921 m3/day
Peak flow: 2763 m3/day
Reticulation: 20 500 meters
Rising mains: 4500 meters
Number of pump stations: 6
Preliminary Costs: $6 Million

The flow from Kihikihi will be pumped 4.5 kilometres to Te Awamutu where the upgrade of the Te Awamutu Wastewater Treatment has been sized to handle the increased flows.

Timeframes for the work are as follows
Design Pase: May 2003 - October 2004
Tender Process: March 2004 - January 2005
Construction: January 2005 - April 2006
Commissioning: February 2006 - July 2006