Find out how the Council works to protect public health by safely managing wastewater.

The safe management of human waste is a core function of the Council.  This page explains how the Council works to protect public health and ensure we maintain a pristine environment for our residents and visitors.

What is Wastewater?
Wastewater is water that has been used for washing, flushing, or in a manufacturing process and therefore contains waste products, also known as sewerage. 

What we do
The Council maintains seven public wastewater schemes throughout the Queenstown Lakes District – Queenstown, Wanaka, Arrowtown, Hawea, Albert Town, Lake Hayes and Arthur’s Point. 

Disposal to land
The Council is working hard to meet the community’s rising expectations.  The biggest wastewater priority for the Council is to achieve internationally accepted standards for wastewater treatment, which will involve disposal to land. 

Two new schemes are underway to make this happen - Project Shotover in Queenstown and Project Pure in Wanaka. 
>> Read more about Project Pure 
>> Read more about Project Shotover  

Inflow and Infiltration surveys
The Council will be doing an in-depth inspection of wastewater infrastructure throughout the Queenstown Lakes District.  This involves Council contractors visiting properties to check for faults that could compromise the efficiency of the wastewater infrastructure. 
>> Read more about Inflow and Infiltration Surveys 

How we do it
The Council contracted United Water Limited to look after the maintenance and operation of all stormwater systems in the Queenstown Lakes District, except Lake Hayes.