Wastewater
Wastewater is used water from home, business and industry sources and it includes all liquid that drains from the kitchen, laundry and bathroom.
Wastewater is 99.9 percent water. The remaining percent consists of organic matter, food scraps, greases, oils and debris such as sand, grit and plastic.
For more information see the Wastewater Treatment Factsheet (PDF, 405KB).
Managing wastewater
Hamilton City Council is responsible for managing the network and providing for the safety of the community and our environment.
Hamilton City Council provides and manages the reticulated piped wastewater systems within Hamilton City. These systems carry wastewater to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Pukete, where it is treated before discharge.
Stormwater and wastewater systems are very different.
- Stormwater is uncontaminated and can be discharged directly to waterways.
- Wastewater is contaminated, and must be fully treated, to remove the contaminants, at the Wastewater Treatment Plant before being discharged.
It is very important that stormwater is not directed into the wastewater system, and that wastewater is not directed into the stormwater system as this can result in overloading of the systems or untreated wastewater entering the environment. This can significantly affect public health, the system and the environment.
Hamilton City Council has a wastewater connections process that enables Council to manage the wastewater network.
See Connections for information on how to connect to the Hamilton City Council Wastewater System.
Wastewater Treatment Plant – Pukete
The Pukete Wastewater Treatment Plant is Hamilton's only wastewater treatment facility.
Hamilton’s treatment of wastewater is a complex process involving primary, secondary and tertiary treatment stages. The aim of these stages is to remove materials such as solids, oils, greases, bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals from wastewater. Treated wastewater (effluent) is discharged to the Waikato River.
Wastewater Treatment Plant history
The Wastewater Treatment Plant was built in 1975 as a Primary Treatment facility. The plant underwent a major $28m upgrade which was commissioned in 2002 providing Secondary and Tertiary treatment. The 2002 upgrade was designed and built utilising a modular concept approach enabling future capacity/enhanced treatment upgrades to be added in the future.
The plant is currently undergoing further upgrades.
Tour information
Hamilton City Council conducts tours at our Wastewater Treatment Plant for interested groups of people.
The tour will explain the water treatment processes and provide a general overview of Hamilton’s water supply.
Tours are tailored to the audience and are intended for:
Tours can be arranged by completing the online registration form or by downloading the hard copy form below and returning.
Alternatively, please ring City Infrastructure on (07) 838 6999.