Stormwater and wastewater cross-connections in Carters Beach and Westport
Find out more about the stormwater and wastewater systems in Carters Beach and Westport and the issue of private cross-connections.
Carters Beach stormwater system
The Carters Beach stormwater system consists of a mix of roadside sumps and soakage pits, alongside a pipe network that discharges into a water course approximately 100 metres from the State Highway on Brunings Road.
The piped stormwater network, installed in 2006, is a gravity fed system that does not incur any pumping costs. It is not connected to the wastewater network.
Most of the BDC-owned water infrastructure has been GIS mapped and is available to be viewed by the public via WestMaps. This includes the Carters Beach system.
Carters Beach is also serviced by a piped wastewater network, which can overflow in certain conditions, often due to heavy rain. Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), council has a duty to avoid, remedy, or mitigate adverse environmental effects, so any such discharges must be authorised.
Wastewater and stormwater cross-connections
Buller District Council is currently seeking to renew its lapsed resource consents to allow discharges from sewer pump stations into the adjacent rivers. Unfortunately, a number of properties in Westport and Carters Beach were built with roof and/or surface water draining into the sewer system - these ‘cross-connections’ are a primary reason for pump station overflows during rain events. Many of these cross-connections were put in place prior to the wastewater treatment plant’s commissioning in May 2007 and some of the cross-connections were built as a requirement in earlier times.
To renew consents for the wastewater overflows, BDC is working with the West Coast Regional Council and iwi to develop conditions suitable for those discharges.
Currently, the overflows occur at a frequency that the district and regional councils and iwi find unacceptable. The parties have agreed in principle for BDC to remove stormwater cross-connections over the next ten years as part of the consent renewal process. It is mandatory for council to comply with all conditions of consent.
The options for public consultation
As part of BDC’s Long-Term Plan (LTP), we are asking residents to give their views on how council should fund this work. Many options were considered, and two feasible options have been put forward.
- A targeted rate for properties in the Westport and Carters Beach area (i.e. all properties connected to the wastewater network).
- A general rate for all Buller properties
Details around these options are available in the LTP and related documents.
Council encourages active debate around funding options for stormwater separation and invites residents to have their say through the Long-Term Plan process.
Doing nothing is not an option
It has been suggested that BDC ‘does nothing’. If that was the case, we would expect to be prosecuted by the WCRC under the RMA. Fines under the RMA are significant, and should a prosecution occur, BDC would not only have to pay fines and legal costs, but it would still be required to complete the separation works.
The benefits of removing cross-connections
The Westport Wastewater Treatment Plant has significant capacity for growth once cross-connections are removed, and this is demonstrated during spells of fine weather when no overflows or capacity issues occur. The Westport Wastewater Treatment Plant currently runs at less than 50% capacity during dry weather.
Completing our work to remove cross connections will have a significant impact on minimising the frequency of overflows; significantly reduce our operating costs by not paying to pump large volumes of stormwater; will delay any expensive expansion of the Westport Wastewater Treatment Plant and (most importantly), prevent sewage, detergents, chemicals and other ‘nasties’ from entering our rivers and reaching our beaches.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz
Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.