Ferries to end sewage dumping

The days of Auckland's major ferry company dumping raw sewage into the Hauraki Gulf are finally coming to an end after the successful trial of a new system yesterday.

The "Kea" ferry, which commutes between Devonport and downtown Auckland, took just six minutes to empty its effluent tanks into a new land-based pump-out station at the downtown ferry terminal, said manager Kevin Brown of Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd (ARTNL).

"It went without a hitch so that's really good. Every which way you turn there's been a hiccup with this so it could be another two to three weeks before all the tanks are commissioned," he said.

"The next step is the Waiheke ferries, that's the most critical one but today was another step on the way."

Nine separate pump-out stations need to be commissioned before all of major operator Fullers ferries are able to use the new facility.

The $400,000 system was first tested last year. Since then, ARTNL and Fullers have been sorting out who would operate the pumps and health and safety concerns.

Each day the Kea will need to pump out four to five times, Mr Brown said.

From the pump-out facilities on the waterfront, the waste goes into a main sewer leading to the Mangere sewage treatment plant.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee expressed frustration last month at the delay, saying it was no longer acceptable for passenger ferries plying the Hauraki Gulf to dump their effluent into the sea.

But while Fullers will use the new facility, other operators still dump at sea.

Generally, the law stipulates boats must be at least 500m from shore and in water at least 5m deep to discharge effluent into the sea.