East Rotoiti and Rotomā sewerage scheme

The 2024-2034 Long-term Plan was adopted by Council on 26 June 2024. Among decisions made was the introduction of a capital repayment plan for ratepayers with properties connected to the East Rotoiti/Rotomā sewerage scheme, effective 1 July 2024.

Notices will be sent out from 18 July notifying ratepayers of rates balances and payment options.

The projected residents’ share per property or per connection = $19,553 (GST excl) or $22,486 (GST incl).

Where multiple systems are being connected, the property/ies will receive multiple capital charges reflecting the number of systems. Note: Generally residential properties will only have one system installed and one capital charge.

$2700 per household.

Payment will be recovered by a rate against your property for the next 25 years. This will be done in quarterly instalments and included in your rates assessment and quarterly instalments notice. Alternatively, you may elect to repay this as a lump sum.

The capital rate is treated the same as all other rates such as rubbish collection and will be included in the direct debit payment.

Council will assist ratepayers to utilise RLC’s rates remission policy. The rates notices contain information on Council’s remissions policy and Council staff are available to discuss options with ratepayers needing assistance.

Council has secured a $10m loan from the Ministry for the Environment which will be repaid over 10 years from the Lakes Enhancement rate.

Additional project costs of $4.5m will be spread across the wider Rotorua district and recovered via the sewerage targeted rate, an increase of $15.50 per ratepayer per year.

Should future additional funding be secured towards the Scheme, Council could reset the rate to incorporate the additional external funding.

The rate will not be charged to ratepayers who are yet to be connected but will be charged once the installation has occurred.

At the core of the committee’s work were environmental, social, and cultural values. These values informed solutions to provide resilience in the technical aspects of the reticulation network and the wastewater treatment plant in everyday usage, as well as in the event of emergencies (e.g. earthquakes).

It provides specialist cultural and technical knowledge to the project. The team ensures that the recommendations of the two cultural impact assessments (one for the reticulation network, and one for the Haumingi 9B3B wastewater treatment plant site) are incorporated into the Council’s planning, design, construction and operation of the Scheme.

The plant is on land owned by Haumingi 9B 3B Incorporation, behind the Rotoiti Emery Store (1434 State Highway 30, Rotorua).

The treatment plant uses natural bacteria (to remove nutrients), a membrane bio reactor (to filter and remove more nutrients), Ultraviolet (UV) light (to disinfect in the same way that the sun does), and then irrigating to pumice soils (providing additional natural filtration and safe dispersal). The plant emulates the natural biological process of digesting waste and aims to reduce the impact of the environment.

Properties at Rotomā have a STEP (Septic Tank Effluent Pump) system, which is an on-site wastewater pre-treatment system.

There has been a thorough and robust process to select the system that best meets the required performance criteria including operational effectiveness, system safety, effluent performance, cultural alignment and long-term cost-effectiveness. The awarded system for East Rotoiti is Biolytix BF2. This is the system that also met the earlier trial criteria.

The Biolytix BF2 Eco Pod (system) is the approved on-site wastewater system for East Rotoiti. There will be one system installed per dwelling, and it will sit below the ground surface with an access cover above ground. It is connected to the electrical panel of the house. The system uses micro-organisms, and tiger worms, to break down organic material. This is a natural process that reduces any offensive odours from wastewater.

When wastewater enters the system, solid waste is separated from liquid using filter beds. Tiger worms and other organisms break down waste solids and convert them into liquid. The tiger worms live throughout the filter bed, naturally aerating it, and wastewater is broken down by microorganisms as it trickles through the filter bed. The treated wastewater is then pumped from the on-site system through the local reticulated network to the main Wastewater Treatment Plant on Haumingi 9B3B for final treatment and disinfection prior to discharge.

For more information about the system visit www.biolytix.com or contact Council on 07 348 4199 to speak to an engineer about how the process works.

Click the link to download the Biolytix pre-installation information booklet – (PDF, 2.7MB)

Existing systems are leaching nutrients and pathogens to the waterways including Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotomā. To protect the water quality of the lakes, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua Lakes Council and Te Arawa Lakes Trust have agreed that a wastewater treatment system is a crucial project. Now that the wastewater treatment plant has been built, the Bay of Plenty Regional council requires all properties within the reticulated area to connect to the scheme.

Council remains very aware that the final cost is a concern for residents and it is important to note that every effort has been made to constrain final costs.
There will be a capital contribution from landowners for the system. This capital contribution won’t need to be paid until the scheme is completed (under current Council decisions) and the full, actual costs are settled. This will likely be in two years’ time (2023).
All scheme participants will pay the same charge (except some community facilities such as schools, marae and sports clubs due to their importance to the community). Council’s advice is that it will continue to pursue the goal that the lowest possible net costs are achieved for the local ratepayers.

The payment options are:

• a lump sum paid once the scheme is complete (likely 2023), or
• instalments paid over 25 years as will be agreed by Council in due course) added each year to rates.

Hardship assistance is available through council for anyone unable to meet the cost. This will be assessed on an individual basis.

Owners may also qualify for a Rates Rebate. Click the link to read more about Rates Rebates or call 07 348 4199 to talk to our Customer Centre team.

This option incurs interest each year.

There will also be an annual operating cost per annum, which is equalised across Rotorua district to all properties connected to a wastewater scheme. This operating cost covers maintenance, repairs and system renewals.