RNZAF Base Ohakea Centralises Wastewater to Feilding
RNZAF Base Ohakea's centralisation of wastewater to Feilding is now in full operation.
From 10.30am to midnight on Wednesday 19 June, 100m3 of wastewater was pumped for the first time from RNZAF Base Ohakea through to Sanson to join the village’s wastewater on its journey to the Manawatū Wastewater Treatment Plant in Feilding. Sanson’s wastewater has been flowing its way to Feilding since February 2024 when the main and intermediate pump stations reached completion.
The wastewater makes its journey to Feilding through a pipeline climbing 85 metres higher than Sanson itself, before descending via gravity for the last 6km. Four pump stations work in harmony to achieve the maximum flow rate of 38 L/s - one located on Base Ohakea and three in Sanson.
The benefits of this collaboration between NZDF and Manawatū District Council are triple-fold; long term cost certainty for Base Ohakea’s wastewater needs, an income source for Council to effectively manage wastewater streams, and wider environmental improvements. “With a shared vision for the economic and environmental benefits the centralisation project provides, it was a natural fit to join the project,” Ross Cockburn, NZDF Construction Project Manager explains. “The partnership with Manawatū District Council allowed us to oversee the Base Ohakea aspects of the project, but with the direct expertise from those working at Council.”
Sanson and Base Ohakea are the first to centralise wastewater management to the Manawatū Wastewater Treatment Plant, with Rongotea and Halcombe to follow in the next few years. The multi-year village wastewater centralisation investment programme demonstrates Manawatū District Council’s commitment to high quality, cost effective and environmentally sustainable wastewater management for the Manawatū District.
