13 November 2012
Council to Investigate Reticulated Wastewater for Pokeno
The Waikato District Council is to begin assessing the options for installing a reticulated wastewater system in Pokeno.
“We have a lot of development taking place on the outskirts of Pokeno, which includes the building of new wastewater
infrastructure. It’s therefore timely to look at options to extend this to existing properties which are on septic
tanks,” Water and Facilities general manager Richard Bax said.
A number of the septic tanks in Pokeno may not be functioning in an environmentally efficient manner due to their age
and the land area available for soakage, raising the potential for groundwater to become contaminated and impact on
public health, Mr Bax said.
The first stage of the project involves council engineering staff assessing the potential solutions and likely costs.
Once these have been established the council will consult with the local community on the best long term solution. This
is expected to take place in early 2013.
Replacing Pokeno’s septic tanks with reticulated wastewater was one of the projects outlined in the council’s Long Term
Plan, released earlier this year.
The area covered by the project includes the village centre, Pokeno School, residential houses between State Highway 1
and the railway, from the motorway off-ramp up to Helenslee Road as well as properties along Hitchen Road up to the
existing wooden bridge.
ENDS