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Watercare All you need to know about water, wastewater, and how we're planning for Auckland's future.

Before we roll into another weekend, let’s check out some facts about one of our rolled earth dams 👀 For today’s Flashba...
12/06/2026

Before we roll into another weekend, let’s check out some facts about one of our rolled earth dams 👀 For today’s Flashback Friday, we’re heading 🔙 to 1972, when photographer Ian Barton snapped this shot of Cosseys Creek Dam. It was the first of several dams in the Hūnua Ranges to be built using a rolled earth design. Rubble from rock and residual clays was used to create the rolled fill, while the team used sheep’s-foot rollers, drawn by tractors and earthmovers, for compaction. The team had to roll with what was available at the time. They used materials sourced on-site, travelling only as far as five kilometres to collect what they needed 🪨

Photo credit 👉 Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Footprints 06276

As an operations engineer in our central network wastewater team, Abhitosh certainly has a big role to play in looking a...
10/06/2026

As an operations engineer in our central network wastewater team, Abhitosh certainly has a big role to play in looking after our local wastewater network 👀 Abhitosh and his team look after all the network wastewater pipes and pump stations in central Auckland. His daily mahi sees him working with our contractor MSN to carry out scheduled maintenance and sort burst wastewater pipes, replacing or relining them as needed. Unfortunately, the team often deal with blockages in both the pipes and at our wastewater pump stations which can result in overflows in the nearby area 💩 When this happens, Abhitosh helps keep customers informed about the issue, working with our faults team to provide timely updates. His favourite part of his role is getting to help customers and getting to see the positive impact his work makes on the local community. Speaking of roles, when he’s off the clock, you can find Abhitosh playing a selection of RPG’s (role-playing games) with his friends or testing out his baking skills 🧈 Thank you for your hard work, Abhitosh, we’ve definitely levelled up having you on the team 👍

This is just a sample of some of the items that end up in our wastewater network. Chilling right? 🥶 Besides monitoring t...
09/06/2026

This is just a sample of some of the items that end up in our wastewater network. Chilling right? 🥶 Besides monitoring the trade waste, a combination of commercial and industrial waste, in our wastewater network, our Trade Waste team also helps investigate how things find their way into our wastewater network that shouldn’t. Case in point, the items in this fridge 👀

To help with the investigations, the team takes samples on site and then sends them over to our laboratory services team for analysis. The fridge here is used to house samples both before and after they’re analysed 🔬 While some samples can give the team a better understanding of one-off events, the samples are also used to track the ongoing wastewater content at some of our sites 👉 The jars you see filled with yellow liquid at the top? They’re a mix of petroleum hydrocarbons (used oils) as well as fats, oils and grease (FOG) and are being kept by the team to monitor the percentage of them coming into one of our wastewater pump stations.

While a small percentage of the investigations do remain as cold cases, pun intended, the team are often able to track down where items entered the network and find their owner 🕵️ The team do a fantastic job of looking after our wastewater network, however it is always a joint effort. Please stick to only flushing the 3 Ps, p*e, poo and toilet paper, and avoid pouring fats, oils and grease down the sink 👍

Recently our Headworks team did work to install new log booms on both the Lower Huia and Mangatangi Dam lakes 💧 The olde...
08/06/2026

Recently our Headworks team did work to install new log booms on both the Lower Huia and Mangatangi Dam lakes 💧 The older log booms had reached the end of their lifecycle, so it was time to do out with the old and in with the new Worthington Waterway Barriers TUFFBOOMS 👀

They have to be tough too 👉 if left unchecked, logs and other debris would naturally block the spillway. This could cause the water to spill over the top of the dam instead of passing through the spillway, causing the dam structure to erode. The log booms stop this from happening, and act as a floating barrier that redirects the debris away from the spillways.

The booms are currently installed on our Lower Huia, Cosseys, Mangatangi and Wairoa dams. Why these ones? Well, dams with bell mouth spillways are more susceptible to blockages, so the team have log booms installed on all the relevant lakes. And when the debris builds up? Our dam technicians go out and remove the debris 🪵

The installation itself was a booming success, with the team using a boat, powerful truck-mounted crane and machinery to complete the work. After the new log booms had been installed, the final step was to dismantle the old booms and sort the plastics from the metal to recycle the stainless steel ♻️ Great to see this essential equipment in action 👍

Today, on World Environment Day, we’re taking another step toward further protecting the environment and reducing our em...
05/06/2026

Today, on World Environment Day, we’re taking another step toward further protecting the environment and reducing our emissions 🌏

At our Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant, we’ve launched a new pilot to help us better understand and reduce one of our biggest sources of emissions in the wastewater treatment process, nitrous oxide (N₂O).

It’s early days, but this small-scale set-up is already helping us figure out exactly when and how these emissions are generated, so we can make real, targeted improvements.

By combining clever tech from overseas with some local innovation, we’re working towards optimising our treatment processes to account for a growing population, yet cutting emissions, improving water quality, and getting closer to our net zero goal by 2050.

All part of how we’re looking after Auckland’s water today and for the future 👍

📷 The photo shows the nitrous oxide pilot plant, looking across the pilot from tank one to tank 4.

Simple ways to be more water and energy wise this autumn 🍂Take a look at our easy tips for a few practical ideas 👉
03/06/2026

Simple ways to be more water and energy wise this autumn 🍂

Take a look at our easy tips for a few practical ideas 👉

29/05/2026

Our Central Interceptor Exhibition's launched! We’d love for you to come and experience it.

Take a trip to Pt Erin, Herne Bay and follow the project’s journey through the eyes of renowned photographer Simon Runting 📷 As part of the Auckland Festival of Photography, these photos will be on display until the end of June.

Can’t make it? We have an online gallery to guide you through one of New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure projects.

You can view it here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/m4um4x6b

Heading along? Make sure you take a snap and tag us.

For today’s Flashback Friday we’re heading 🔙 to 1959 where our friend Arthur Mead (centre) was out in the Waitākere Rang...
28/05/2026

For today’s Flashback Friday we’re heading 🔙 to 1959 where our friend Arthur Mead (centre) was out in the Waitākere Ranges giving a talk to members of the Auckland Historical Society. Arthur had originally been tasked with investigating possible water sources in the Waitākere Ranges, when he first gained employment at the Auckland City Council in 1910, and was sent into the ranges for survey and design work on the Upper Nihotupu and Huia Dams. After briefly going off to serve in WWI, he resumed his position with the council, working till he retired in 1953. With all his work, he certainly knew a lot about the area and would have given a fantastic talk about our dams! 💧

Photo credit 👉 Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 255A-R17-17

Etienne enjoys his gig as a plant operator during his 9-to-5. And on his weekends? He enjoys gigs of the musical kind 🎸 ...
27/05/2026

Etienne enjoys his gig as a plant operator during his 9-to-5. And on his weekends? He enjoys gigs of the musical kind 🎸 His work week sees him out at our Waikato and Waiuku Water Treatment Plants, where he works with his wider team to keep things running as normal 💧 As a plant operator, Etienne’s main role is overseeing the operational and compliance side of things: making sure the plant equipment and treatment processes are operating as they should 👀 While there’s always scheduled maintenance involved like cleaning the treated water tanks and physically de-sludging the clarifiers (settling tanks that separate solids from the raw water at the start of the treatment process), Etienne’s favourite part of his role is the variety that goes with it 👉 When he’s off the clock, you can find him checking out the music scene with his family, attending gigs and festivals during his time off. What can we say other than your work certainly strikes a cord, Etienne, and we’re lucky to have you on the team 👍

27/05/2026

If you’ve ever wanted an in-site-ful look into our Central Interceptor project now is your chance 👀

Full details out Friday

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73 Remuera Road, Remuera
Auckland

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