Motueka family fruit grower Birdhurst Ltd selected a KLARO wastewater system, designed, supplied, and installed by Allflow’s expert wastewater team, to treat on site wastewater from two single-level accommodation units built in 2019 on the corner of Staples Street and State Highway 60.
Allflow wastewater expert Alastair Lewis says it was one of the largest installations Allflow has completed in the top of the South.
“Two 23,000-litre concrete tanks and one 9,000-litre concrete pump chamber now sit underground next to the building site. They make up a system that can treat a maximum hydraulic load of nearly 24 cubic metres each day. This is definitely the largest system we’ve installed.”
The treated wastewater will be dispersed three metres deep in the ground under adjacent land where native bushes and trees will grow.
Heath Wilkins, Birdhurst’s Managing Director, says he’s pleased the new buildings will have minimal impact on the local sewage services and the local environment.
“All wastewater is treated on site and returned to the land in an environmentally friendly state,” he says. “Anything we do as a business, one of our top objectives is to invest in systems that are proven to be better for our environment. As a business, we want to have a positive impact in everything we do.”
KLARO wastewater systems are known for their consistent performance, for using nearly half the amount of energy of other systems, and for exceeding the requirement set out in AS/NZS 1547:2012 for secondary treatment levels.
The company is an international industry leader in the energy efficient SBR technology used for wastewater treatment. SBRs, or sequencing batch reactors, use a separate pre-treatment tank to mechanically hold back solids and a biological aeration and settling tank. Incoming wastewater is cleaned over a number of cycles, saving nearly 50 percent in energy costs because the system only operates when there is a sufficient quantity to dose.
Heath says the new units mean the company is poised for growth and expansion in the future. New and existing workers who will live in the accommodation blocks - they oversee the company’s orchards during each season, pruning, thinning, picking, packing and shipping apples around the world – will have a fresh new place to live when in Motueka.
“I’m really glad as a local company that we can expand our business in a smart way. The wastewater system does smart work below ground, and above ground we’ll have smart new living spaces and green spaces with native trees and bushes that will make a really nice relaxation area for our guest workers.”
Allflow directed this installation with the help of Annesbrook Plumbing and Drainage, which installed it, wastewater engineer Mark Rounce, who drew up the plans, and Alpha Precast, which built the concrete tanks.
Read more about the Klaro wastewater treatment system.
Check out a video of a key installation from our YouTube Channel.