Bell Island, or Bell's Island (unofficial) is an island in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It functions as a wastewater treatment plant for the nearby city of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and town of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. Bell Island is a low-lying triangular island, being formed from a raised sandbank in the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

of the Waimea River. It lies to the west of the city of

in the

Waimea Inlet Waimea Inlet is a section of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, in New Zealand's South Island. It is at the southern end of the bay, and separated from it by the partial barriers of Rabbit Island and Bell Island to the west and Monaco Peninsula and ...

, an arm of

Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere Tasman Bay (; officially Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere), originally known in English as Blind Bay, is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along ...

, at the northern end of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It lies immediately south of the larger Rabbit Island and northeast of Best Island. The island is dominated by the treatment ponds of the sewage plant, which cover much of the east of the island. At the western end, a long narrow spit extends into the mouth of the Waimea River. A smaller, unnamed island and wide sandbank protrude into the inlet at the eastern end of the island. Bell Island is not to be confused with

Pakatoa Island Pakatoa Island is one of many islands in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, covering . Purchased in the early 1900s by the Salvation Army it was used as an alcohol treatment centre for women, isolated from the Army's male rehabilitation facility o ...

, which previously was known as Bell's Island, nor with

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island (; Māori: ) is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most pop ...

, which was also known as Bell's Island.

History

In 1980 it was announced that there were plans to create a sewage plant on Bell Island. In the 1980s, treatment ponds were constructed on the island, covering approximately 55 hectares. Upgrades were considered in 2008.

References

Islands of the Tasman District Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Islands of Tasman Bay {{Tasman-geo-stub