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Alarming sewage problem
I read your article in the November 10 Mahurangi Matters regarding the recent sewage spill from the new pumping station at Lucy Moore Memorial Park from October 29 to 30 with great interest.
Sorry to hear that after only a few months in operation the pumping station failed in service.
I note that according to Watercare’s webpage this was due to a unique set of circumstances. However, there is nothing unique about power surges and power cuts in Warkworth, as they are a regular occurrence.
What is being done (by Watercare) in the short and longer term to stop it happening again?
The short term is most important as we have already had at least one power cut to the area (since the overflow) sometime overnight a couple of days ago (November 17) and more can be expected at any stage.
Given that [we have regular power cuts in Warkworth], any machinery is bound to fail at some stage.
In this case, it took from 2.30pm on Wednesday until 8am on Thursday morning for anyone to notice the overflowing sewage.
Why was an alarm not raised in time for human intervention before the emergency overflow tank was full and overflowed into the stormwater pond?
By the time raw sewage reaches the stormwater pond it is too late as the pond is always full and overflowing into the river.
I suggest the alarm system has a fully independent power supply system. This could be battery-powered so it could send out an alarm without any incoming power supply.
Some other points to consider:
1 The system should raise the alarm if mains power fails.
2 Have an alarm that warns when the emergency generator set starts up.
3 Have a high-level sensor in the pumping chamber slightly above the pump start sensor.
4 Have a flow sensor that warns when flow starts to go into the emergency holding tank.
5 Have another flow sensor that warns of high level in the emergency holding tank.
6 Have someone on standby 24/7 ready to go to the pumping station and restart the pumps if any alarms indicate issues.
Not knowing how large the emergency holding tank is or what the peak flow rate might get up to, I cannot hazard a guess as to how long it takes to fill up. However, one thing to note is that the time it takes will decrease with every single new dwelling/house added to the system.
I would also recommend that the independent investigation reports are made public and followed up by independent inspection and testing, the results of which are also made public.
John Caukwell, Warkworth
Targeted transport rates relief
As technology facilitates it, we are seeing more user-pays charging for public services – from water charges to bus fares and road user charges. Our rates bills now have more entries for targeted rates e.g. for transport, climate and waste.
Not all of these are particularly well-targeted, and it has partly become a way of council using “add-ons” to avoid higher increases in the basic general and property rates, as it finds more ways to spend our money for us.
Much of council’s spending is a subsidy of public services that traditionally don’t cover their costs. The classic example is public transport. Council spends the thick end of $500m a year subsidising users (while fares only recover 34 per cent of costs).
That may be what regular bus, train and ferry using ratepayers want. But alternative mode users (motorists, cyclists and walkers) get nothing and are paying over $500 a year in rates for services others enjoy. A lot of Rodney ratepayers have no practical access to public transport.
So why not have a targeted transport rates relief for ratepayers who don’t live within 500m of a designated regular council/Auckland Transport service stop? A $500 reduction in your rates bill. Easy to do now with geo-located properties. Won’t stop the waste but might ease the pain!
Bill Foster, Leigh
Scow must stay
I am writing in support, and hopefully encouraging, those within and beyond our communities to volunteer and to ‘come on board’ in order to save the very historic heritage vessel Jane Gifford (MM, Nov 10).
My association with the Jane Gifford goes back to when both Peter Thompson and Hugh Gladwell bought her home in 2005. She virtually was a truck load of firewood.
Through their dedicated efforts, and many others who not only volunteered but also worked as professional boat builders and tradesmen, the task was completed in four years. The cost was huge but thanks again to our community, donations and several charitable trusts made it all possible.
I am sure our community would not want her to be ‘sold-off’ and therefore leave the waters of the Mahurangi on which the Jane has served since 1916. Nor do we wish for her to remain as a museum exhibit tied up to the wharf.
So I strongly suggest that if you have the appropriate skills as a possible skipper and prepared to train, then please don’t hesitate to give the trustees a call. Additional volunteers are also required to ensure smooth sailing. It is with thanks to both Daniel Hicks and Chris Poulter who have kept the vessel sailing in last few years.
The 117-year-old Jane Gifford is the sole remaining, fully rigged sailing scow in NZ waters. She has done the mahi. I therefore recommend and encourage men and women, particularly our younger generation, to step up and ensure our Jane remains active on the Mahurangi river.
Dave Parker, Snells Beach
