[1] It functions as a wastewater treatment plant for the nearby city of Nelson and town of Richmond.

It lies to the west of the city of Nelson in the Waimea Inlet, an arm of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, at the northern end of the South Island.

At the western end, a long narrow spit extends into the mouth of the Waimea River.

[4] In 1980 it was announced that there were plans to create a sewage plant on Bell Island.

[5] In the 1980s, treatment ponds were constructed on the island, covering approximately 55 hectares.