The new Opal Drive Pump Station is a key component in planned wastewater services upgrade for Pāpāmoa, supporting the wider wastewater network.
The new facility now pumps the majority of wastewater flows from the eastern and central Pāpāmoa area and Wairākei Urban Growth Area through to the Te Maunga wastewater treatment plant. This is part of council’s. wider programme of investments in wastewater infrastructure - to make sure we have a resilient wastewater service for the Pāpāmoa East community.
For a short behind the scenes look at the new facility, take a look at our video tour of the completed pump station.
Completed pump station tour
The next step in this programme is construction of the new Wairākei pump station at Golden Sands Drive. Find out more about Wairākei pump station.
An aerial view of the completed pump station (August 2026), with the wet well in the foreground (right) and the generator and control buildings in the middle of the site and storage tanks at the back (left).
What was delivered as part of the Opal Drive Pump Station project
The work at Opal Drive included:
- Installation of a new pump station, including terminal chamber, wet well, a generator and control buildings, biofilter for odour control and
- Additional storage capacity
- Upgrades of pipelines in the road corridor and stormwater reserve
- Two additional stormwater culverts across Opal Drive at the intersection of the Wairakei Reserve - to provide additional capacity for stormwater flows in the Wairākei stream.
What is wastewater?
Wastewater is the water we use in our homes and workplaces. Each time you flush the toilet, pull the plug from a sink, or have a shower, that water drains into a wastewater pipe on your property. The pipeline on your property connects to the wastewater network, which carries the water safely to a treatment plant where the water is treated (cleaned) and then released.
What’s next?
Having completed the Opal Drive Pump Station, we’re now starting construction of the Wairākei Pump Station. Situated close to Golden Sands Primary and against the school boundary, this is a designated site for the pump station. These works are all part of our Pāpāmoa Wastewater Masterplan.
