Abel Tasman Sewage Management
Background
Anchorage Bay, one of the most popular sites in the Park, with up to 2 000 visitors per day at peak times.
Finished pumping station at Anchorage Campground
Anchorage Hut and Campground – site layout plan (click to enlarge)
MWH was commissioned by the DOC to develop sustainable solutions for managing human waste and washing water at hut and camping sites in the Abel Tasman National Park (Conceptual statement). The solutions needed to be:
- suitable to the highly sensitive ecological, archaeological, cultural and social values of the Park;
- affordable in terms of development and operation;
- sustainable in terms of environmental effects, discharge quality, low risk of malfunction, highly flexible operating requirements, low maintenance requirements;
- acceptable to Park visitors, to avoid the problem of visitors “going bush" for ablutions because they were not familiar with the installed facilities or the facilities were not providing a high enough level of service;
- practical and effective in a physical environment that has extremes of weather, rough topography, sensitive ecology and receiving waters;
- high archaeological values, water access only, no power, limited fresh water, with occupation concentrated near sea level; and
- installed while a high level of ongoing use was likely.
