Frankton Beach Reopens

Queenstown Lakes District Council is warning the public to take greater basic care with what they put down drains to avoid unnecessary clean-up costs and health risks.

Chief Executive Adam Feeley issued the warning after learning that fat and grease from households and businesses at Frankton and Kelvin Heights were a contributory cause of Sunday’s sewage overflow at Frankton.

Inspections showed that the sewer pipe had been blocked by an accumulation of fat, as well as gravel. “This is a completely avoidable problem that needs the community as a whole to think more carefully about what they’re putting into their drains,” Mr Feeley said.

The Council is likely to schedule more preventative maintenance of its sewerage systems, including inspections using closed circuit television cameras, to minimise the risk of similar build-ups causing overflows.

However, Mr Feeley warned that it was ultimately a collective public responsibility to stop putting the wrong material down drains. “Household refuse, commercial water and debris from developers and roading contractors will all cause serious problems if it enters our drains.”

QLDC would be promoting greater public awareness of the issue in coming months and also intended to work more closely with the Otago Regional Council to ensure that those who caused obstructions in the wastewater system would be held to account, including liability for any clean-up costs.

A short section of beach at the south end of Frankton was closed for 36 hours, but has now been reopened.

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