Woods led the design and delivery of the vacuum wastewater pump station and rising main, providing engineering services and contract coordination for a future-ready wastewater solution.

Our role

Woods was engaged by Drury Property Group LP (DPG) to design a system to reticulate wastewater for up to a thousand dwellings within Blocks A, B, and C of the development, with future-proofing built in for network expansion in line with Watercare Services Ltd’s (WSL) DP-17 standards.

Woods provided civil and mechanical engineering services for the project and acted as Engineer to the Contract, coordinating design and delivery across multiple disciplines. The design scope included:

• Civil and mechanical engineering

• Architectural and structural design

• Geotechnical input

• Vacuum mechanical engineering

• Electrical and control system design

Working alongside DPG and Watercare, Woods helped shape the servicing strategy through an optioneering process. A vacuum wastewater network with a dedicated pump station was selected as the optimal solution for the flat topography of the site. Notably, this project helped inform the development of Watercare’s DP-17 Vacuum Wastewater Standard, as no formal guideline existed at the time. The vacuum system and station were designed in collaboration with FloVac, a global leader in vacuum wastewater technologies.

Key features and design complexity

The VPS includes three main internal rooms:

1. Pump room:

• Vacuum pumps and air/water separators

• Webforge over drywell space

• Internal/external access points

• Lifting crane, extraction fan, acoustic louvres

• Maintenance station and sink

2. Dry well:

• Vacuum vessel, sewerage pumps, and related pipework

• Sump drainage and ventilation

• Secure access from the pump room

3. Control room:

• Electrical and control boards

• Security board and generator connection

• Escape access, extraction fan, acoustic louvres

• Roof access, internal antenna, and service trenches

• Optional comms connection for phone line

• The pump station lot also includes:

• Biofiltration bed for odour control

• Vacuum collection chamber and camlock chamber for network maintenance

• Dual stormwater detention tanks and stormwater network with green outfall

• Concrete hardstand for maintenance access

• Permeable paved driveway

• Incoming vacuum mains and outgoing rising main

• Water supply cabinet, lockable gate, and security lighting

Outcome

Despite COVID-19 challenges, the design and delivery of the Hunua Views vacuum pump station were completed on time and within the $3 million capital budget. Woods’ multidisciplinary coordination and future-focused approach ensured the system was fully compliant, expandable, and aligned with evolving Watercare standards.