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During this period North Shore City was a small collection of boroughs and villages, the principal ones being Devonport, Takapuna, Northcote and Birkenhead. These small communities developed quite dramatically, from farming and holiday areas to residential developments. The demands of this growth were easily seen in the establishment of new electricity supply, drainage and road works. In the Auckland region, the collection and disposal of sewage increased in importance. In Auckland City and the southern boroughs there was considerable debate about the discharge of wastes directly into the harbours. The mounting volumes were often enough to produce obnoxious odours with the suspicion that bathing in harbour beaches was a risky venture. The North Shore boroughs were free from most of this debate, although it did not go unnoticed that the North Shore sewers poured untreated wastes directly into the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf – contributing to the rapidly growing problem. In 1931 the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board proposed that a treatment plant be constructed on Browns Island and the North Shore be serviced by its own works north of Castor Bay. It was another 30 years before this was to come about. Septic tanks, the repulsive night-cart collection service and pollution of the Gulf continued in many areas. Considerable debate raged in Auckland over the planned Motukorea (Browns Island) treatment plant. Opposition came from the newly formed Suburban Drainage League and petitions to parliament followed in 1945 and 1946. The North Shore was excluded from the Metropolitan Drainage Act of 1944 and although most of the North Shore local bodies professed themselves satisfied for the time being with discharging into the Rangitoto Channel, they were aware that a concerted policy would soon be required. The Local Government Commission, established in May 1949, favoured a single metropolitan water, sewerage and drainage board for Auckland. The Devonport and Takapuna boroughs resisted incorporation into the Drainage Board District and together with Birkenhead and Northcote Boroughs and the Waitemata County Council concluded that a separate authority was imperative for the North Shore. North shore's treatment plant opened on September 29, 1962 . New trunk sewers had to be constructed to meet and connect existing local authority sewers. In North Shore's situation, a number of pumping stations had to be constructed because of the large populations in the lower lying coastal areas. The scheme was a "separate system" (i.e. no stormwater was admitted into the new drainage work). This has since been extended to include all the city's system.
The official handbook from the treatment plant opening (September 29, 1962) gives the following statistics:
The pumping stations were designed to harmonise with their surroundings. Because of the geographical features of the North Shore, 'high head' pumping stations were required. The official handbook from the treatment plant opening also states the following statistics:
The pond was constructed by the Ministry of Works. The area was recognised as a wildlife refuge in 1961 and today many ducks, geese, black swans, pukekos and pied stilts can be seen. It was previously farmed and zoned for rural development.
The first North Shore residents to be connected were those in the area of the Black Rock Pumping Station at Takapuna North. Over the next three years the holding tanks and their outfalls from Chelsea to Black Rock were progressively closed down and the flow into them pumped back to the treatment plant. Total cost of the scheme (including the treatment plant) was over $5 million. After the Takapuna areas were connected, then came Milford, the Wairau Valley, Northcote and Forrest Hill. Later Birkenhead and Birkdale, followed by Devonport and the East Coast Bays were also joined up. All told, it was a significant achievement for a community of just over 60,000 people, covering a wide area.
Stage two Stage two works commenced in 1965 and continued into the early 1970s. These works involved constructing the second primary and secondary sedimentation tanks and a second trickling filter. This virtually doubled the liquids capacity of the plant. Site roads were also built and numerous general improvements made. Stage three Due to rapid population growth in the early seventies the need for greater plant capacity became obvious. In 1974 the stage three extensions were designed. These comprised new pre-treatment facilities, a third primary sedimentation tank, trickling filter and secondary sedimentation tank. The total cost of the stage three extensions was over $1.8 million, which also included modifications to the sludge digesters as well as essential extensions to the laboratory. Despite the sterling efforts of the Drainage Board, problems did occur - most noticeably with the oxidation ponds. In 1977 the Board reported the ponds had become "completely unstable and anaerobic." Improvements were made including a low-level transfer pipe connecting Ponds 1 and 2 and a peripheral drain to catch all stormwater run-off from above the oxidation ponds and discharge it below Pond 1. One hundred and thirty-eight sample points were established around the ponds and a programme of regular scientific testing began. All the councils contributing wastewater to the plant were requested to co-operate in reducing the amount of illegal stormwater entering the system. Stage four In 1982 work commenced on the stage four extensions. These included a fourth primary sedimentation tank and secondary sedimentation tanks. A fourth trickling filter, however, was deferred to a later date. A number of other works were also carried out, such as a new gas engine, improved pond access, outlet structures, and an electrical upgrade. 1989 North Shore City Council became the provider of wastewater services for North Shore City in 1989 following local government reforms. This meant that the Water Services division assumed legal responsibility and a statutory obligation to ratepayers to remove, treat and dispose of wastewater, while ensuring that the community had the best, most cost-effective services available. This included the operation of the wastewater treatment plant at Rosedale. See also:
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Connecting to the plant
A
number of improvements were made to the plant over the years.
Water
introduction