Furneaux Lodge - Marlborough Sounds
Apart from being in a stunning area, Furneaux Lodge is an historic landmark at the top of Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds. This area is renowned for the native bush, the beautiful mountains and pristine waters. It was critical that the activities surrounding the facility did not impact on this important environment.
The owners recognised this and also the fact that the operations of this facility were highly seasonal. Therefore, the AdvanTex® Recirculating Textile Packed Bed Reactor was identified as the method most suited to achieve the goals of this project.
In addition, this facility is only accessible by sea and has a very limited land area that is available for the utilities.Using this set of criteria Innoflow Technologies NZ Ltd. (ITNZL) designed, produced and installed a wastewater management solution that met with the owner’s high requirements, the council’s strict resource consent conditions and the customer’s high expectations from this facility.
The solution in this case was the use of Septic Tanks fitted with a Biotube® Effluent Filter gravity feeding to a Recirculating Textile Packed Bed Reactor (rtPBR) discharging through a UV Sterilisation unit to a constructed outfall deep in the ocean.
The following details the system components and technical specifications. Also shown are the expected and required performance figures for this wastewater management system.| Constraint | Solution | Comment |
| Limited area for treatment plant | Utilise very small footprint of the Textile rPBR | The Textile Pods were configured specifically to meet site requirements |
| Access to site by sea only | AdvanTex Textile Pods did not present a problem to transport | The rtPBR process also has very low biosolids production meaning reduced costs for removal off site |
| Highly seasonal usage | Use rtPBR process designed for peak loading | The rtPBR process has a 100% turn-down ratio providing consistent performance under fluctuating loads |
| No area for disposal UV disinfection and discharge to sea | A very high level of treatment was required to allow this option. | The rtPBR process is proven under these conditions |
| Power supply limited | Utilise small kW pumps and UV Sterilisation | The pump starts are staggered and only run intermittently. The dosing frequency can be varied with the seasons |
| Remote location, limited onsite technical support | Use PBR process with programmable control system | Low operation and maintenance requirements for this process assist simple management of the system |
Table 1: Design Constraints
| Parameter | Required Value* | Expected Performance |
| BOD5 | N/A | < 10 mg/ltr consistently |
| Suspended Solids | < 10 mg/ltr | < 10 mg/ltr consistently |
| Faecal Coliforms | < 1000 MPN per 100 mls | ~ 200 MPN per 100 mls |
Table 2: Treatment System Performance
* These figures are the set values in the Coastal Permit for this project issued by the Marlborough District Council
The logistics of getting two companies, all of the equipment, 24 pods, 3 tanks, various heavy machinery and some aggregates to this site were interesting.A lot of care was taken not to impact on the shoreline or the facility itself.It was also important to achieve the installation within a specific time frame and ensure that the finished product did not detract from the surroundings.
The low footprint of the AdvanTex® rtPBR pods and flexibility in the arrangement of the units lent itself well to a customised installation such as this.
With a low visual impact, no noise and no odours produced from them it was not a problem to install the units along the rear of the chalets. This photo also shows the septic tanks that were installed in the first stage of the upgrade.
| System Component | Specification | Comment |
| Design Flow (Peak) | 35 m3/day | Only reached ~ once a year |
| Primary and Transfer Tanks | Existing | By others |
| Septic Tanks | 69 m3 | Installed in two stages |
| Recirculation Tank Size 33 m3 3 x 11 m3 tanks in series | 3 x Multi-stage Turbine | At peak 14 hours run time per day @ 0.56 kW per pump |
| Packed Bed Reactor | Area 25 m2 | Installed along a thin strip directly behind the chalets |
| Treated Effluent Tank Size | N/A | |
| Discharge Pump | Existing | Reconfigured |
| UV Disinfection System | CH1 | High transmissivity and low flow rate mean that the CT value is very high |
| Disposal | Sea Outfall | Testing is done around the outfall to ensure that there are no effects on the environment |
Table 3: System Summary
The size and layout of the treatment system were important as the only available position for the plant was near the main entrance and the accommodation chalets. The rtPBR was designed and constructed to fit within the available area and the finished plant is all flush at ground level to eliminate any visual impacts.