Christchurch Water

Christchurch storm water

Christchurch storm water is water collected during storms and rain that can't soak through the pavements and other hard surfaces. It travels down gutters and into sewers, or from roof guttering down drains and again, into sewers. It is contaminated by mud, waste water, pollution and more.

Christchurch wastewater

Christchurch waste water, is water that is collected from kitchens, laundry's, bathrooms and toilets. It travels down pipes connected to sinks, toilets etc and into sewers, also contaminating storm water when it reaches the sewers.

Where does Christchurch get its water?

Christchurch water comes from underground aquifers, which are used to supply Christchurch, Lyttelton, Diamond Harbour and Governors Bay. It is polluted by waste water and storm water, along with microbedes, bacteria etc.

Where does Auckland's water supplies come from?

There are dams located mainly in the Hunua and Waitakere Ranges. Together, these dams supply 80% of Aucklands drinking water. It is also polluted by litter, waste water, microbedes, bacteria etc.

What water borne diseases and parasites can we catch in New Zealand?

Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Toxigenic Escherichia coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Enteroviruses, Noroviruses and Hepatitis A

Christchurchs waste water is treated after use

Waste water flows by gravity to pump stations, which pump the wastewater from low areas around the city, particularly near the Avon and Heathcote rivers. Five terminal pump stations then pump all the flow to the treatment plant.

It goes from your home, down to the nearest pump station, then through a screen and grit removal system, cleaning all the small grit and stone out of the water. It then travels to a sedimentation tank, where heavy organic matter settles to the bottom of the tank and is scraped to one end and sent to the digesters for treatment. From their, the water travels to a trickling filter, which evenly spreads the clear liquid over the surfaces of the filters.

The water then goes to an aeration tank where air is injected into the bottom in fine bubbles. This air allows the fine slime solids to form larger solids which settle to the bottom of the next tanks, clarifier tanks.

Clarifier tanks then suck the the solids off of the bottom, leaving a clear liquid which then floats out to the oxidation ponds. The water then travels to the ocean.

Where is Hanmer waste water treated?

Hanmer Springs has a fully reticulated wastewater collection plus treatment and disposal facility. Treatment is by a dual passive pond and disposal is by gravity to an open pipe into the Chatterton River.The original system was installed in 1949 to service the hospital and older part of the township. This fed to a large settling tank, below the hospital. The system was upgraded in 1966 to the ponds and has progressively grown from there.