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Onerous rural domestic wastewater discharge requirements was the subject of a meeting between Landowners and Contractors Association (LCA) representatives and Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters regulatory, compliance and wastewater team earlier this month.
LCA is concerned about what it sees as the demands placed on rural landowners to comply with more urban-type sewerage systems.
The example was given of a local lifestyle farmer who, although very rural, was forced to install a new state-of-the-art system after the addition of a minor dwelling.
LCA argued that most earlier rural sewerage systems had stood the test of time and that the soakage systems were efficient, and often more than 500 metres away from creeks and major waterways.
“We want rural households treated as such, without the need to waste money and create stress about problems that don’t exist,” LCA chair Brian Mason said.
“The matter of ‘relationship building’ was raised in regard to how council staff approached landowners in the first instance.”
The LCA also raised the problems landowners were experiencing with flooding and erosion due to the retirement and overplanting of stream banks and waterways, often for industrial or subdivision requirements.
The concept of catchment ponds and dams on hill country was promoted.
“The proposed livestock exclusion policy was debated, angling from an animal welfare issue.
“It was recognised that government legislation was being announced, which would recognise and address some of these concerns. We’ve asked council officers to set up a working party to navigate a way forward once the legislation is fully understood.”
Mason said the meetings had been worthwhile and he thanked Councillor Greg Sayers for facilitating them.
