Q. What is the Operative Onsite Effluent Treatment Regional Plan ("Regional Plan")?
A. The Regional Plan determines how wastewater from onsite wastewater systems should be treated and disposed in the Bay of Plenty.
Q. What does the Regional Plan require?
A. Regional Council have designated some coastal communities as Maintenance Zones. These zones have special onsite treatment and disposal requirements.
The Regional Plan requires coastal communities within the Maintenance Zones to comply with the rules and schedules found within the Regional Plan by December 2010, or:
1. obtain resource consent
2. be connected to a Council sewage scheme.
Q. Which of the communities investigated are classed as Maintenance Zones?
A. Tanners Point, Ongare Point and Te Puna West.
Q. Which of the communities investigated are not classed as Maintenance Zones:
A. Tuapiro Point, Te Kauri Village and Plummers Point.
Q&A for communities classed as Maintenance Zones
Q. How did this community end up in a Maintenance Zone?
A. Regional Council (Environment BOP) monitor stormwater outlets and streams located around the small coastal communities to ensure that onsite wastewater treatment systems are not having adverse effects on the harbour. Water quality testing is assessed against relevant guidelines.
Maintenance Zones were determined by assessing the risk posed to water quality by onsite wastewater systems. These zones have shown high levels of bacterial and/or nutrient budget contamination.
Q. What wastewater treatment options are available to communities within Maintenance Zones?
A1. Replace the existing conventional septic tank and disposal area with an advanced septic tank and disposal area.
A2. Obtain resource consent for the existing system.
A3. Adopt a Western Bay of Plenty District Council wastewater treatment scheme.
Q. What is property owners do nothing, what can Council do?
A. Council have authority under the Resource Management Act 1991 to enforce abatement notices and infringement notices. Council may also fine non-compliant households.
The property can be listed on the LIM property file as having as having insufficient sewage treatment.
Q. What is the deadline for changing existing onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks and disposal areas)?
A. All properties within the Maintenance Zone need to comply with the Regional Plan by December 2010.
Q. What is an advanced septic tank and disposal?
A. Initially these systems do the same as conventional septic tanks but have an additional treatment stage (eg filter) that treats the effluent to a higher standard before disposal to ground.
These systems generally have set disposal area requirements to ensure that the effluent is treated correctly.
Soakholes will not be permitted in Maintenance Zones because of their potential to contaminate groundwater and because they do not treat effluent to the same quality levels as trenches or drip irrigation.
Q. Are there any recommended advanced septic tanks?
Regional Council (Environment BOP) has been testing several advanced treatment systems at a trial facility in Rotorua.
The following link is to a report showing the testing results of these permitted advanced treatment systems.
Q. Is it possible to convert an existing septic tank to an advanced septic tank?
A. Some properties could have recently updated their septic tank or had a new system installed that could be able to meet the Regional Plan requirements. Property owners will need to check with Regional Council (0800 368 267).
Most existing septic tanks will need to be completely replaced to comply with the new requirements.
Q. Will all of the properties in the Maintenance Zone be able to use Advanced Septic Tanks?
A. Many properties will not meet the Regional Plan's advanced septic tank disposal requirements because they simply do not have a suitable disposal area or favourable slope or soil conditions and/or they are located in floodable areas. Regional Council will not allow effluent disposal in floodable areas or the lowlying areas (eg the Ongare Point and Te Puna West Esplanades) as a permitted activity.
Regional Council have prepared a simple guide Dealing with Your Wastewater (EBOP 2006), based on the Regional Plan, to assist property owners in determining what are the area requirements, slope and soil conditions that will be required for those installing advanced septic tanks.
Q. What happens if properties do not have suitable effluent disposal areas?
A. These properties will have to improve the effluent disposal conditions on their property. This could require landscaping or other structures so that the effluent is disposed of correctly.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council is investigating community wastewater treatment schemes that will disposal of effluent or sewage offsite.
Q. What effect does greywater have on a septic tank?
A. Greywater is wastewater from the bathroom and laundry. Toilet water and kitchen water is called Blackwater. Greywater has a lot of chemicals and anti-bacterial cleaners that destroy the valuable bacterial that break down sewage inside the septic tank. Property owners should be careful when using cleaners to ensure that they do not destroy their septic tank bacterial population.
Q. What alternative wastewater schemes have been investigated for the small communities?
A. Investigation for alternative wastewater management for the small communities is ongoing. Council has completed a desktop study for three wastewater schemes:
1. Conventional Reticulation
2. STEP/STEG De-centralised Treatment, and
3. Low-pressure Grinder Pump Reticuation.
Q. Is there any funding or a subsidy available for a community wastewater scheme?
A. There are no available subsidies or funds from central government for a wastewater scheme. The Ministry of Health recently had a Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme (SWSS) that is now under review. Western Bay of Plenty District Council will continue to monitor the progress of the SWSS review.
The SWSS was based on environment risk, deprivation indexes and whether or not the community had previously received a subsidy.
Q. Have Council investigated SmartGrowth for the communities?
A. Council have made a 20% allowance for growth following the installation of a community wastewater treatment scheme. This growth allowance assumes that some proeprty owners will want to subdivide their properties or add addditional flats or units to their sections and/or there will be Greenfield developments in the residential zone.
Q. How long will it take for a community wastewater system to be built?
A. It will take up to five years to build a new wastewater scheme following Council approval.
Q. Can properties, near to but further away from the residential areas, be added to a community wastewater scheme?
A. Council have only made allowances for residential properties within the maintenance zone. Additional costs to add a property outside this area will likely be incurred by the property owner wishing to be added to the scheme (this is potentially very expensive.
Q. What happens to the old septic tank when it is replaced by a community scheme or an advanced septic tank?
A. The old septic tank will be pumped out, then collapsed and/or filled in.
Q. It is possible to share treatment or reticulation costs with another community?
A. Only the communities who are in Maintenance Zones are likely to join a community wastewater scheme, as the costs to build and operate a wastewater scheme are high. Also, the best cost feasible option for one community may not be the same for another community, as wastewater treatment costs for each community differ based on population and wastewater treatment flows.
It is therefore unlikely that a joint scheme is a cost feasible option because of the population differences among communities and the long reticulation distances between communities.
Q. What is meant by conventional reticulation?
A. Conventional reticulation is when the sewage is collected by gravity sewers (pipes) and then pumped to an exisiting wastewater treatment plant (ie Katikati or Chapel Street, Tauranga).
Q. Which wastewater treatment plant will the sewage go to?
A. Council are in discussions with Tauranga City Council and other interested parties to allow sewage to be reticulated into the Omokoroa Transfer Main for treatment at the Chapel Street Wastewater Treatment Plant. Connection into the Omokoroa Transfer Main is likely to occur at Newnham Road.
Q. What is a STEP/STEG De-centralised Treatment Plant?
A. STEP/STEG stands for Septic Tank Effluent Pressurised/Septic Tank Effluent Gravity and this system is similar to a conventional septic tank, except that the effluent flows by gravity (if possible) or is pumped to a de-centralised (local) community disposal area. The effluent undergoes further treatment before being finally disposed to ground at a location that is not detrimental to the environment. The property owner will still be responsible to have the solids pumped out of the tank periodically.
Q. Is it possible to use an old septic tank for a STEP/STEG scheme?
A. No, as the quality of effluent will not be the same. If a STEP/STEG scheme is adopted, all septic tanks will need to be replaced with new tanks for this wastewater system to operate efficiently.
Q. How long does a STEP/STEG system last?
A. The estimated life cycle for this system is 25-30 years.
Q. Who will manage or operate the STEP/STEG wastewater scheme?
The scheme needs to be managed by Council or another corporate body.
Q. What are the electricity costs for a STEP/STEG scheme?
A. Electricity costs for each household are estimated at $315/year.
Q. What happens if there is a power failure?
A. There is approximately one day storage in the septic tank (if maintained correctly). There is also storage for the effluent at the wastewater treatment plant.
Q. How reliable are the pumps in the STEP septic tanks?
A. The pumps are expected to last 15 years before replacement.
Q. Has Council considered Council land for disposal?
Yes, but there is no suitable land (ie size or area, soil conditions, slope and watertable requirements) near to communities within Maintenance Zones.
Q. What is a Low-Pressurised Grinder Pump (LPGP)?
A. These systems are installed at each property and have a pump with cutting blades that grind up sewage so that it can fit through smaller pipes to be transported to an established wastewater treatment plant. Having smaller pipes saves on reticulation costs.
Q. What are the electricity costs for a LPGP?
A. The estimated electricity costs for each household are $30/year.
Q. What happens if there is a power failure for a LPGP?
A. There is generally one days storage inside the grinder pump.
Q. How reliable is the pump within a LPGP?
A. The pumps are expected to last 15 years before replacement.