Release: Immediate
Date: November 8, 2009
Prepared by: Graeme Stilwell
New sewerage scheme for Arowhenua
The Arowhenua community, including the Arowhenua School and Marae, will be saying goodbye to septic tanks and connecting
directly to Temuka’s sewerage system with the approval last month of a 50 per cent Government subsidy for a $1.3 million
household pump-based reticulation project.
Work, which will be undertaken by Fulton Hogan, is expected to be completed by October next year and allow Arowhenua
households to connect to a reliable and sanitary system, the Timaru District Council says.
The council and the runanga have been actively seeking to upgrade Arowhenua’s sewerage system since 2005 and have
welcomed Ministry of Health funding and assistance under the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme.
Council drainage and water manager Grant Hall said today both the community and the council welcomed the upgrade from a
“tired and increasingly faulty scheme that relied on on-site septic tanks and infiltration fields”.
He said investigations into a suitable sewerage scheme for the Arowhenua community had been ongoing since 2005 with a
working party established to oversee consultation on the project – “which had been extensive and allowed input from all
people affected by the change”.
“The community has welcomed the upgrade and will now have a tailor-made pump-based reticulation system that will see
each household have a small pump chamber installed on their properties. Sewer pipes at each property will discharge into
this chamber,” Mr Hall said.
“Sewage will then be pumped to a pressure main in the street, which will discharge to a main pump station under the road
on Huirapa Street opposite the marae.
“All sewage from the community will then be pumped to Temuka to discharge into the existing Temuka sewerage system,” Mr
Hall said.
He said the cost to connect, per household, was just $6000 (GST included). By comparison, a new on-site treatment and
disposal system that complied with the required standards would cost each household approximately $15,000.
“The council was able to offer the relatively low connection cost because of funding from the Ministry of Health and
other agencies,” Mr Hall said.
Once installed, the householder would be responsible for the household pump chamber, which contained a macerator pump,
and the pumped sewage pipeline in the property to the street boundary, Mr Hall said.
“The council will be responsible for the household pumps in the household pump chambers at no cost to the householder.
The power to run the pump would only cost the householder about $30 a year, he said.
ENDS