Woods were engaged by Drury Property Group LP (DPG) to design the Vacuum Wastewater Pump Station (VPS) & Rising Main necessary to provide wastewater reticulation for Hunua Views Development. 

Woods Involvement 

Our team provided civil engineering and mechanical engineering services to this project and coordinated the works as engineer to the contract. 

The design also included architecture, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, vacuum mechanical engineering, and electrical and control system engineering.

The Vacuum Wastewater Pump Station (VPS) within Drury Property Group LP’s (DPG) Hunua Views Development, Drury South/Ramarama shall provide wastewater reticulation for up to 1000 Dwelling Unit Equivalent’s (DUE) within Blocks A, B & C of the development. The station has also been sized so that it can be easily upgraded for future development in accordance with Watercare Services Ltd’s (WSL) DP-17 Standards.

The servicing for the development went through a optioneering process, with the final solution of a vacuum wastewater network and the installation of a vacuum pump station being selected as the best option for the flat site. Woods and the developer worked in conjunction with Watercare in defining design guidelines suitable for proposed and future vacuum networks and pump station as the Vacuum Wastewater Standard (DP-17) had not yet been created. The design of the vacuum network and pump station was completed in conjunction with FloVac, an international leader in the supply and delivery of vacuum networks.   
 

The station consisted of rooms:

- The first is the pump room, this includes vacuum pumps, air/water separators, webforge over drywell space, lifting crane, external access, internal access to the control room, extraction fan, acoustic louvres, maintenance station and sink.

- The second room is the dry well, this includes vacuum vessel, sewerage pumps and related pipework, sump drainage, ventilation and suitable access from room 1.

- The third room is the control room, This includes Control Board, Building Services Board, Security Board, generator connection unit, external access (escape for fire), internal access to room 1 (escape for fire), extraction fan, acoustic louvres, roof space access, internal antenna, service trenches. A comms connection is also available if a phone line is required for the station. In addition to these, the pump station lot includes a biofiltration bed, a camlock chamber for maintenance, vacuum collection chamber, stormwater detention tank, stormwater system, concrete hardstand area for maintenance, permeable paving driveway, incoming vacuum mains, outgoing rising mains, water cabinet for supply to station, lockable gate and lighting.

In addition to these, the pump station lot includes a biofiltration odour treatment bed, a camlock chamber for maintenance of the vacuum pipe network, vacuum collection chamber for wastewater flows generated by the pump station lot, dual stormwater detention tanks to meet the site’s stormwater management requirements, a stormwater network and discharge to the receiving environment via a green outfall, concrete hardstand area for maintenance, incoming vacuum mains from the separate development zones, an outgoing rising main to the north east, water cabinet for potable water supply to station, a lockable gate for access and security and maintenance lighting.

Woods performance

The capital expenditure for the vacuum pump station was approximately $3 million. The design and delivery of the pump station were completed within the agreed time frames and budget, while taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic.