Improving Water Quality on Tamaki Drive & Waitemata Harbour

Nestled in Waitemata Harbour with surrounds that include Hobson’s Bay and Bastian Point, Auckland’s Outboard Boating Club is a sprawling 3.4-hectare reclamation and 225-berth marina. The club is an integral part of the Auckland harbourside and provides superb local facilities to support local boating, fishing, and recreation. Located on Tamaki Drive, the route is a well-known scenic waterfront with proximity to numerous beaches, such as Okahu Beach and Mission Bay. Water quality outcomes are vital to the sustainable management of local waterbodies, which converge in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. The development of sustainable frameworks is paramount to the reinvigoration of the harbour by the Auckland City Council. The council’s City Centre Masterplan outlines goals for improving the harbour’s water quality through water sensitive urban design (WSUD) philosophies – key building blocks for a sustainable city centre. Local principles underline the importance of modern infrastructure for treating stormwater and protecting the harbour – and foster discussions about conservation and preserving environments for present and future generations.

FlowFilter: Supporting Harbourside Sustainability

Two Atlan FlowFilters provide pollution removal capabilities across the site’s catchment areas, taking stormwater runoff from the boating club and treating it before discharge to nearby waterbodies. The FlowFilter incorporates a combination of processes, which include sedimentation, filtration, adsorption, and precipitation. These innovative WSUD assets provide specialist stormwater filtration in a condensed footprint and remove pollutants such as heavy metals, total suspended solids (TSS), copper and zinc. High-performance pollution removal assets are necessary to meet the site’s sustainability requirements. The dual FlowFilter installation will treat each of the site’s key catchment areas to reduce environmental impacts and improve water quality – ensuring compliance with Auckland Council’s WSUD goals for a cleaner waterfront. The design of the FlowFilter contains these pollutants in the internal sump areas of each device, ensuring they are kept out of sight and providing ease of maintenance across asset service life. This combination of lower operating costs, ease of maintenance, and sustainable stormwater treatment will futureproof the site and provide cost benefits. The modular design of the FlowFilter provided quick installation timelines, which needed to align with the site’s tidal conditions. Fabricated off-site, both units were delivered ready to install and met the one to two-hour tidal windows available for each installation. The FlowFilter’s modular design philosophy helped to reduce excavation times and minimised lifting schedules, which were beneficial to meeting the on-site challenges. Designed to accommodate flat sites, the Atlan FlowFilter is a high-performance solution with a minimal head drop between the inlet and outlet. The up-flow filtration process of these devices requires only 250mm of hydraulic head, which ensures optimal operation despite the site’s low gradient. FlowFilter is part of Atlan’s range of generational assets, and we support sustainable outcomes across the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland region. Helping to nurture waterways and prevent the conveyance of pollutants to our oceans, we look forward to ensuring a sustainable approach to WSUD across the harbourside – protecting Joy in Water for you, with your children and grandchildren.