Edgecumbe residents flee sewage flooded street

The residents of Edgecumbe's Totara Street are again packing their bags and leaving, forced out by sewage flooding their street.

Continuing rain across the Rangiatiki Plains is overflowing canals and flooding the sewage station in Edgecumbe.

Totara St resident Debbie Stevens said she rang the Whakatane District Council at 8am which referred her to Environment Bay of Plenty, which in turn, told her they only dealt with rural and farming flooding. An urban street was the council's responsibility.

"We always have this problem. One passes the buck on to the other. Every time it rains we get flooded. This time the water subsided but has come up worse, even though it is not raining heavily."

Her neighbour, Sam Scott, whose house is again surrounded by water asked the council to close the road. It refused.

"It had sewage flowing down the street. There were pieces of toilet paper, and kids being kids were riding their bikes through it."

Mr Scott said every time a vehicle tried to drive down the street, the waves sent the sewage under his house.

"It has gone under the house and into the backyard. I ended up closing the road myself."

Ms Stevens said the street has great sympathy for the residents of Matata, "but we always seem to miss out on the repair work. They sorted the problems in Awatapu after the last floods, but we still go under."

All Edgecumbe residents have been asked to restrict their use of toilets and not to use dishwashers, washing machines or have baths or showers.

Ms Stevens said the town's schools were closed on Thursday because of the water contamination. "How are the kids supposed to restrict the use of toilets -- don't schools use water?"

Edgecumbe College principal Gavin Greenwood said he had been assured by council staff that the water was drinkable.

- NZPA