Residents oppose plans for sewage

A new Mahia wastewater proposal touted as environmentally friendly and potentially cheaper for ratepayers has been slammed by a local ratepayers' association.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Wairoa District Council have come up with a proposal which would see sewage-treatment ponds created on council land at Mahia beach.
Wairoa District Council engineering manager Neil Cook said the regional council would buy land in the hills behind the beach.
 Treatment ponds would be created on-site and used to irrigate forestry planted by the council.
"Irrigation would only be necessary for about 100 days of the year, and there would be no effluent run-off that could cause contamination," he said.
Three sewage-disposal options for Mahia ratepayers were explored, with the "Septic Tank Effluent Pumping" system selected as the preferred choice.
The process allows solid waste to settle in the septic tank before the liquid is pumped through a communal reticulation system for treatment.
Mr Cook said the option would allow existing septic tanks that were structurally sound to be used, lowering costs to the individual ratepayer.
Estimates put the cost per property at about $13,000-$15,000 but if an existing tank could be used, the cost would drop by up to $4000.
Mr Cook believed about 70 per cent of existing tanks could be suitable for the scheme though a final confirmed number was not known.
 "We hope to make the most of what is already in place," he said.
"This will be advantageous in terms of finance, as well as sustainability."
Mahia Isthmus Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Vaughan Plowman said many social and financial implications were yet to be revealed and acknowledged.
"The Wairoa District Council's new plan for a Mahia beach sewage reticulation scheme is unnecessary, unwanted and still far too expensive," he said.
The scheme duplicated what individual septic tanks already did but at a greater cost.
"Most Mahia beach property owners would prefer to continue and manage their own low-energy demand, low carbon footprint, on-site systems rather than be forced to be dependent of the council's expensive, low-tech reticulation system."
Mr Cook said the issue for many Mahia residences was the effluent field surrounding the tank with high water tables, poorly draining soils or ageing dispersal fields allowing wastewater to contaminate the environment.
Both councils had worked closely with Kaiuku Marae trustees to ensure the protection of historic and archaeological sites within the proposed disposal area, he said.
The public have until February 19 to make submissions.
 A hearing will be held after that date.