11 December 2018
Media: TV One
Topic: Proposed city wastewater treatment system
Enquiry
Initial enquiry:
I have been contacted with concerns of waste water in Lake Rotorua.
I would like to request a response around waste water and storm water entering Lake Rotorua.
What are the current systems in palce regarding both waste and storm water?
Has the Council registered any concerns internally or from the public around this issue in Lake Rotorua?
Please also send through the links for the current proposal before Council.
Subsequent:
I have read a fair bit of the documents in the link and just had a couple of questions please.
When did the submission process begin?
Now that submissions have closed - has the request been transferred to the Environment Court? Have the dates been set? Or is there another step prior to this occurring?
I have seen the numbers around Nitrogen levels etc but am wanting to make sure I am reading them correctly.
Can you please provide to me the numbers of Nitrogen:
- That were released daily into Whakarewarewa
- The daily average projected to be released into the Te Arikiroa Thermal Channel under the proposal
- The current level of nitrogen released into Te Arikiroa
- The proposed future upper limit allowed to be released into Te Arikiroa
- Projections when heavy rainfall and overflow is an issue
Response
Response to initial enquiry:
I think what you're referring to/hearing about is the proposed wastewater treatment plant upgrade and proposed discharge - this is a future thing, not happening currently but we are now in a formal process, having lodged resource consent applications.
Take a look at info HERE on Council's consultation platform which will provide you with what's proposed, FAQs, background etc and then come back to us.
Response to subsequent questions:
The document [below] was provided to the reporter to assist in her understanding of the proposed wastewater treatment plant upgrade and the proposed discharge of the recovered water to Lake Rotorua via a contact bed
See THIS DOCUMENT
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Rescue helicopter services
Enquiry
I am getting in touch to include comment from our Rotorua mayor regarding the latest development in the Rotorua rescue helicopter changes this year.
Today I covered a story about a group of community members meeting with MP Todd McClay to set up a trust to fund a Rotorua rescue helicopter, to replace the one that was axed earlier this year and absorbed by the Tauranga and Taupo services.
The group have filed the necessary documents to set up a charitable trust with the help of pro bono legal work, and will now wait to hear if the status is granted in the new year.
My questions for Mayor Chadwick are the following:
Some of the community members said today that Rotorua had been left with a gaping hole in the air rescue service following the loss of the city's helicopter, and that supporting choppers from Taupo and Tauranga were never going to cut it here. Do you agree/disagree and why?
One also said that a Rotorua based helicopter is essential because of our big industries: tourism, forestry, and agriculture, which all cover isolated areas that cannot easily be reached by road. Do you agree/disagree and why?
Do you think a fully community funded Rotorua rescue helicopter would be money well spent by the district, or should the government be helping as it did until November?
Anything else you'd like to add.
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
Earlier this year I sought and received assurances that levels of service would be at least maintained in Rotorua - that's absolutely vital for our community.
I was assured that Rotorua would not be disadvantaged by not having a helicopter based locally.
I've not yet been updated on how the new service is going or about the details of the trust that's being formed so I'm not in a position to judge or comment on either at this stage.
