Preparing - and Preparing to Deliver - Treatment Plant Masterplans

Julianne Martin (Lutra), Caroline Crosby (Lutra), Jonathan Church (Lutra), Asli Crawford (Horowhenua District Council)

Horowhenua District Council is anticipating significant population and industrial growth in Levin over the next 30-years, as well as being faced with upgrading aging and deteriorating assets at both their water and wastewater plants.

Challenges relating to climate change, environmental stresses and changing regulations need to be addressed. Lutra were engaged to develop 30-year masterplans for both the water and wastewater treatment plants to meet these needs. The masterplans were required to deliver a robust programme of work, beginning with upgrades and initiatives to meet immediate operational needs that followed on logically to the needed longer-term upgrades.

The first part of this paper sets out in detail the method used to prepare the master plans including defining immediate and longer term needs and aspirational goals; assessing the operational state of the current plant and then gathering supporting evidence to revise and refine the plan and timelines for delivery. In carrying out the master planning process it becomes clear that technical expertise and infrastructure planning expertise need to be applied equally for the best outcomes. To develop a feasible and evidence-based upgrade path, it is not sufficient to produce ‘high level concept designs’. 

The second part of the paper sets out the challenges for Horowhenua District Council in delivering the masterplans. Infrastructure managers face a number of challenges including bringing on stakeholders early and often throughout the project, managing budgets and needing to spend more than allocated in the longterm plan, obtaining additional funds, and gathering the right internal and external team with respect to capability and competence to deliver the Masterplan projects.

The Levin experience creates a case study of the issues and problems facing three waters infrastructure providers in New Zealand.