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 not classed as Maintenance Zones
Q. Why are these communities not listed in a Maintenance Zone?
A. Bay of Plenty Regional Council 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. The communities not classed as Maintenance Zones have satisfactory water quality testing results.
Q. Could Non-Maintenance Zone communities be added to the Maintenance Zone at a later date?
A. Bay of Plenty Regional Council will continue to mointor the streams and stormwater outlets about the coastal communities to ensure that the combined effect of effluent disposal is not having harmful effects on the water quality. There are no foreseeable changes to the existing Maintenance Zone boundaries. However, this could change if there are poor water quality results over a reasonable period of time.
Q. Do Non-Maintenance Zone properties need to change their onsite wastewater treatment?
A. Bay of Plenty Regional Council have no plans to routinely monitor the onsite wastewater systems (septic tanks) in Non-Maintenance Zone areas.
Property owners will need to follow the guidelines outlined in the Regional Plan for conventional septic tanks and disposal to ground. The following link is to the publication Dealing with Your Wastewater, prepared by Bay of Plenty Regional Council to help property owners maintenance their onsite wastewater treatment.
Property owners planning to make changes to their onsite wastewater treatment or to their dwellings (extra bedroom or flat) should contact Bay of Plenty Regional Council for advice at 0800 368 267.
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 antibacterial cleaners that destroy the valuable bacteria 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 happens if there are new Greenfield developments (residential developments ) in the Non-Maintenance Zone?
A. Property developers need to provide suitable wastewater treatment for their developments. In isolated locations, developers generally install small wastewater treatment package plants.