06 Mar Whitford Manor Estate – First Mena Water installation in Australasia
I was in Tauranga last Wednesday and happened to see the ship carrying the Mena Water plant destined for the Whitford Manor Estate development in Auckland arrive. And as reports of the next cyclone coming our way start to develop, I thought it is an appropriate time to showcase how MBR (membrane bioreactor) technology and the Whitford development is a blueprint for modern urban expansion without creating more infrastructure headaches for town planners.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is quoted in this article from the NZ Herald as saying that “A higher population, more frequent heavy rainfall events, will exacerbate this problem”. The problem he was referring to is the closure of Auckland beaches due to issues with the stormwater overflowing into the wastewater. This is where Mena Water comes in.
Mena Water has been supplying wastewater treatment solutions of all sizes for some years now. From municipal installations to more localised solutions like Whitford, their technology is thoroughly tested every day. Stewart and Cavalier are proud to be installing the first plant of its type in New Zealand into this 150 home development in Whitford.
Plan of Whitford Manor Estate with zoomed area showing boatsheds for Mena Water plant
As I wrote in a previous blog, the MBR treatment process results in clear water output that is microbiologically safe to drink. Test results have shown a significant reduction in phosphorous without requiring chemicals, an excellent conversion of ammonia to nitrates and a reduction of pH levels to below 8.5. This has allowed the design of a system where the plant is installed underground and then “disguised” by an architecturally designed boathouse, on the shore of stormwater overflow ponds. No chance of beach closures here!
Modern solutions like this alleviate the load on already congested infrastructure, allow for cleaner, more environmentally friendly developments and open up possibilities in locations where access to district services is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive.
Architects drawings of boatsheds to house Mena Water plant
In the Whitford development, we have also been engaged to handle fresh water treatment of bore water through a reverse osmosis (RO) plant. This is housed in a separate container, to be installed alongside the wastewater plant under the second shed and I will cover this in more detail in a future blog.
For now, I look forward to sharing this exciting project with you as it unfolds. Please follow us on Facebook or subscribe to this blog, if you haven’t already.
For more information or to discuss how a Mena Water solution could work for you please call Ross Burrell Sales Engineer / Business Development on +64 27 533 4966.
