The Whakatāne District Council has adopted a recommendation to proceed with the installation of a full sewerage reticulation, treatment and disposal scheme in Matatā.
A report updating progress on the investigation of sewerage options, and the outcomes of the special consultation process on the project, was the first item on the agenda at yesterday’s Extraordinary Council Meeting considering submissions on the Council’s draft Annual Plan 2013/14. The Council will now notify the Ministry of Health of the decision to proceed with a full sewerage scheme so that a $6.7 million subsidy approved for the development can be secured.
Mayor Tony Bonne says strong support for the project within the Matatā community and the wider District played an important role in the Council’s decision. “With more than 80 percent of Matatā submitters in favour of a full sewerage scheme and our investigations indicating that a system serving the whole community would be affordable, Councillors had no hesitation in endorsing the recommendation,” he says. “We now have to meet the Ministry of Health’s subsidy funding requirements, which include confirming a decision to proceed by 30 May, progressing to a request for construction tenders by no later than 31 December and confirming that construction of a full reticulation scheme is underway by 30 June 2014.”
He says a smooth Resource Consent process will be a key factor in meeting the MoH timetable and the Council will continue to work closely with iwi and the wider Matatā community to ensure that the project is well understood and has widespread support.
Engineering investigations have continued throughout the consultation and deliberation process, with the result that the Council now has a preferred option for sewerage reticulation (collection), with progress also made in narrowing down the treatment and disposal possibilities.
Council General Manager Infrastructure, Tomasz Krawczyk, says pressure sewers with household grinder pumps for each connected property are the preferred reticulation solution. “This is based on a number of factors, including resilience to earthquake impacts; the low likelihood of stormwater infiltration during heavy rain events; lower overflow risks during power outages; competitive installation costs; and minimal disruption for property owners,” he explains.
Treatment and disposal options are still being evaluated, but the possibilities of pumping sewage to Kawerau, Edgecumbe or Whakatāne for treatment are not favoured due to the high capital cost involved.
“Our likely solution at this time is to install a compact treatment (package) plant, with disposal either by land application, into the Tarawera River on outgoing tides, or discharge via a sea outfall pipe,” Mr Krawczyk says. “Again, taking cultural considerations and costs into account, land application is currently viewed as the strongest option. Possible land application sites include Council’s Western Recreation Reserve (located on the coastal dune system running between the Tarawera and Rangitaiki Rivers), the dune system west of Matatā and several sites to the south of the township.”
The information now available has seen the estimated cost of the project increase by about four percent to $10.85 million, but the Council has applied for a Bay of Plenty Regional Council subsidy contribution which, if granted, would reduce the local funding requirement. Based upon the Regional Council subsidy provided for the recently completed sewerage scheme in Maketu, Mr Krawczyk says the estimated cost for each connected property is likely to be little-changed from the indicative costs previously provided.
For Matatā property owners, the first costs would fall in the 2015/16 year, when each connected property would face a rate increase of approximately $313, including GST. For ratepayers connected to sewerage schemes elsewhere in the District (other than Murupara), the additional cost arising from the installation of the Matatā scheme would be approximately $42 in 2015/16, including GST.
Consultation with regard to the cultural impacts of the project is underway with iwi organisations and Mr Krawczyk says the Council expects to be able to brief the Matatā community on the preferred project options before the end of June.