With heavy rainfall seen around the country this past week and Auckland declaring a state of emergency, Aucklanders have been warned not to swim at any beaches for 'some time,' after flooding caused widespread wastewater contamination.
Here in Raglan, Waikato District Council (WDC) issued a warning on Monday, January 31, that they would be discharging treated wastewater on the incoming tide (as opposed to their usual timing during the outgoing tide). With the last discharge occurring on Thursday morning, council advised against swimming and shellfish collecting until 12pm, Saturday 4 February.
(Listen to the full interview below:)
“It’s obviously not ideal but the treated wastewater is discharged during the incoming tide to avoid raw sewage getting spilled into the environment,” said Cr Lisa Thomson.
A number of issues contribute to the wastewater overflows, including waterlogged landscapes consisting of heavy clay, the amount of rain going into the waste ponds, pumping stations being under pressure or getting blocked as well as considerations for stormwater and road drainage leaking into the wastewater infrastructure.
While the rain was bucketing down, council staff were sucking water out of the pump stations to cope with the amount of water flowing through the system.
“Mitigation was required with the sheer amount of rain going into the system. Council is managing as best we can with the resources that are available. This is a prime example of why we need Three Waters Reforms where we’re not relying on a targeted rate or the ratepayers to upgrade the infrastructure. This is a massive picture - it’s not just a Raglan story.”
“Previous to this weather bomb there were 83 boil water notices around the country - this means that people on a reticulated system need to boil their water to have safe, drinkable water out of their tap and that’s scary,”
In addition to issues with drinking water infrastructure, there have been numerous wastewater overflows, - especially in Auckland. Four weeks ago, prior to this recent deluge, SafeSwim, reported that only 20 beaches in the Auckland region were safe enough to swim in - the majority had a black or red pin with ‘Do Not Swim’ notices.
With Raglan’s wastewater discharge, the current short-term resource consent that WDC are operating under allows for treated wastewater discharges - usually twice a day during the outgoing tide - but the sheer level of water going into the system meant that council needed to act quickly to prevent a raw wastewater leak.
During the consultation stage for WDCs new Wastewater Discharge Consent application, local iwi, the wider Raglan community and other stakeholders expressed a strong preference for a discharge to land option, which WDC have been investigating for several years.
Since 2019, WDC have been working with the Raglan community to develop a new Wastewater Treatment Model and have been investigating more advanced treatment plant types that could replace existing oxidation ponds.
Lisa says that if community members want to know more about Raglan’s wastewater they can come along to the next Community Board Meeting on February 8, 2023 from 1.30pm in the Town Hall Supper Room. Council staff member Steve Howard is planning to present some options for land-based treatment and Lisa encourages all members of the community to attend.
Alternatively, all the documentation for the Raglan wastewater Discharge Consent can be viewed on the council wastewater page here.