Auckland residents call for action after homes soiled with raw sewage following heavy rain

Wastewater overflow runs into a driveway on Beach Rd in Campbells Bay. Photo / Supplied

Auckland residents are calling the council to action after homes and properties were littered with sewage following the heavy rain over the weekend.

Residents on both the North Shore and in South Auckland were among those who were disgusted to find their properties overflowing with sewage yesterday as heavy rain put pressure on wastewater networks.

Property manager Satyia Nand, who looks after properties on Great South Rd in Papatoetoe, said one house was completely marooned by faecal matter and toilet paper after the public sewer line overflowed.

"For the past four years, every time it rains it overflows and the sewer s*** and everything flows over onto the property," he told the Herald.

"Yesterday the sewage overflowed all around the house.

"It was flooded up to the front door. It is not flooded with water, it is flooded with s***.

"It was about 50mm below the floor level, so it nearly went into the house. Everything was floating just outside the front door."

As a property manager and builder, Nand said he would not live in a house like this, and believed no one should have to.

"Nobody should have to live with s*** all around their house," he said.

"The tenants are fed up. They are a family and are paying rent for a house that is only about 10 years old, but the house it not the problem, the problem is the public sewer line running through the property."

Wastewater overflow surrounds a property on Great South Rd, in Papatoetoe. Photo / Supplied

Nand said both he and the tenants had contacted Watercare about the issue but in the past they had simply washed away the sewage - but not addressed the underlying problem.

"They came and cleaned it about two weeks ago, and then it rained again yesterday and it happened again.

"We notified Watercare and they said they have to wait for the water to recede, then they can come and clean it up.

"All they do is pump out the water and fumigate without fixing the actual problem. Raw sewage is left behind.

"But this doesn't solve the problem. The problem is that the drainage down the way somewhere is blocked. They need to fix that instead of every time it rains people having to live with all this mess."

Watercare confirmed they were aware of the problem and had been advised of four overflows at the property in the past four years.

Raw sewage lines the fence line of a property on Great South Rd, in Papatoetoe. Photo / Supplied

A spokesperson said the overflows occurred during heavy rain events, when stormwater enters and overwhelms the wastewater network.

"We are of course very concerned to hear this has happened and Watercare has sent a crew to clean and thoroughly disinfect the outside areas," they said.

"Watercare staff will be investigating the surrounding wastewater network tomorrow with CCTV cameras to find out where and how stormwater is illegally entering the wastewater system. A nearby stream may be the cause and will be included in the investigations."

However, the problem is not restricted to one address, with residents in Campbells Bay also reporting overflows.

Aaron Spinley, a resident of Beach Rd, said a huge pile of raw sewage was strewn across his driveway and that of his neighbours following the heavy rainfall.

"Today four households face the prospect of driving through or walking through raw sewage to enter or exit the property, until Watercare and Auckland Council come and sort this out," he said.

"This has happened 5-6 times in the last two years and at this point I am seriously considering refusing to pay my wastewater charge on my current bill."

Spinley said the wastewater overflow also goes directly into a nearby stream and flows down to the middle of Campbells Bay Beach.

"There are regularly many children that play in this outlet stream. This concerns me a great deal," he said.

Watercare said it will be investing $3.6 billion in Auckland's wastewater infrastructure over the next 10 years to address the widespread problem.

"Projects that have recently been completed include a new $30 million wastewater pump station and storage tank at Fred Thomas Dr, Takapuna, a new $141m biological nutrient removal facility at Mangere WWTP, a new 2000m3 underground wastewater storage tank at Glen Eden, and upgrades to the wastewater network at Army Bay, Whangaparaoa," a spokesperson said.

Future wastewater projects also include projects in Hunua, North Harbour, Warkworth, Snells Beach, and Clarks Beach.