Opiki School, situated near the Manawatu River just south of Palmerston North, has an expanding roll which resulted in the on-site sewage system failing.
Dave was appointed Project Manager by the Ministry of Education to design, organise tenders and supervise the installation of a new sewage system. The old septic tank was replaced and a new Low Pressure Effluent Dosing system was incorporated into a barked bushed area.
Dave designed the primary treatment system so it could be extended or upgraded to incorporate a full sewage treatment plant in the future without having to undo any of the original work.
This versatility is a feature of Dave’s designs and is much more cost efficient than allowing a treatment plant agent or plumber to install a system that they have a financial interest in.

The existing gravity effluent trench had become clogged with tree roots and had to be replaced. The existing septic tank was suitable for reuse however it was near the children’s play area.  A filter was fitted to the septic tank and pumped 400 metres into a corner of the school ground and into a series of LPED soakage trenches.