Major infrastructure upgrades in the pipeline for Wellsford

Wellsford’s population is expected to grow over the next few decades and to ensure it can support this growth, we are embarking on a major upgrade of the town’s wastewater treatment plant and planning a new water treatment plant.

Chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera says the Wellsford and Te Hana communities are expected to grow over the next 30 years, and the area is already attracting interest from developers.

“There are several small infill developments currently underway, and already one private plan change has been lodged.

“Wellsford’s existing water and wastewater treatment plants have reached the end of their operational lives and are at their design capacities.

“This is why we're carrying out a major upgrade of the local wastewater treatment plant, and are planning a new water treatment plant that will source water from underground aquifers instead of the Hōteo River.

“We hope to begin construction at the wastewater treatment plant in the next few months. We expect it to take about two years and be completed in late 2026.

“This new plant features sophisticated treatment technology that will improve the quality of the treated wastewater discharged and allow us to meet the new, more stringent requirements of our resource consent.

“We’re in the feasibility and planning stage for the new water treatment plant, which we expect to build on Wayby Valley Rd. When this new plant is up and running, the Wellsford and Te Hana communities will be supplied by an underground aquifer, instead of the Hōteo River, making the town’s water supply much more resilient to drought.”

The water treatment plant already has a water take consent and is expected to be completed in late 2028.

In the meantime, there will be a pause on new connections to the water and wastewater network until both the new water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant upgrade are completed.

“This is to ensure we can continue to meet the community’s water demand, and protect the environment by meeting the conditions of our wastewater discharge consent,” Perera says.

“We will be honouring our commitments made through approved resource consents. This means anyone who had an approved resource consent and/or building consent as of 10 September 2024 will still be able to connect when they’re ready, provided all relevant consent conditions have been met.”

Auckland Council is not able to grant a building consent until they have confirmation that a water and wastewater connection is available to either reticulated services or on-site alternatives. The council may still grant resource consents, but with conditions that no connection to the water supply or wastewater network can be made until both the new water treatment plant and upgraded wastewater treatment plant are operational.

“We’re working closely with developers to set clear expectations about our infrastructure programme and anticipated timeframes,” Perera says. “We urge anyone seeking to develop in Wellsford or Te Hana to come and talk to us, if you haven’t already done so.”