Whau Valley water treatment plant

Aerial image of Whau Valley water treatment plant.

The new Whau Valley water treatment plant will secure Whangārei's urban water supply for decades to come. The new plant treats raw water from the existing Whau Valley Dam and the Hātea River.

The treatment plant became operational in May 2021. It is located at 270 Whau Valley Road, Whangārei.

The old treatment plant was shut down. A decision has yet to be made about the future of the old water treatment plant and it may become a treated water storage facility in the future.

The new plant has increased the capacity of our water supply from 15,000 cubic metres to 22,000 cubic metres a day. It uses new filtration systems and the latest technology for cleaning, filtering, controlling and monitoring our water supply. 

The treatment plant is modern, future-proofed, more robust and provides greater resilience when it comes to water security. This is especially important considering the growth in our District, and the increasing climate challenges.  

Future-proofing our drinking water system is one of the most important things we can do as a Council.

Storm water to clean water

The plant turns brown and silty dam water into pure drinking water much faster during major storms.

As rain and floodwaters rush down from the hills into the dam they bring all sorts of sediment and debris with them, churning up the dam and turning the water brown and opaque. Water in that condition is more difficult to process than the usual, fairly clear, water taken from the dam.

In usual conditions, the old plant could process 15,000 cubic metres of water a day, but the new plant processes 22,000 cubic metres a day and handles quality water in a better way.

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