31 March 2021
Media: Te Karere
Topic: Ngapuna wastewater pump station repairs
Enquiry
I am running a story today on the sewage issues at Ngapuna, residents in the area say sewage problems are a constant with flooding every 18 months.
They say the smell from the sewage system is also potent and can smell it daily. Following the latest blockage last night, they are wanting answers.
I am looking for a statement from the council as to what the issues are at Ngapuna.
- Is this an infrastructure issue?
- If so, when will this be fixed so residents can feel safe without the fear of flooding or smell in their homes in the future?
- Residents say they weren't warned directly about the issues at Ngapuna. They were awoken at midnight to trucks and workers and were warned through Facebook about the use of non-essential water. How will the council improve it's communication in future?
- What threat does overflow pose to the lake?
- When can residents expect to use their water as normal again?
Response
From Stavros Michael:
Is this an infrastructure issue?
Yes. We have an extensive wastewater network of more than 500km of pipes and occasionally we have unforeseen faults, damage or breakages in the network - this is expected in any large network and can be due to age, condition or damage that occurs within the network.
If so, when will this be fixed so residents can feel safe without the fear of flooding or smell in their homes in the future?
We cannot guarantee that there will never be faults or issues across such an extensive network.
However, we can assure the community that we have emergency procedures in place to ensure we respond as quickly as possible to reduce any impact on the community and the environment.
In this instance, overnight at Hona Road the procedures in place enabled staff to respond immediately and we were able to avoid a potential overflow so it was a successful operation.
The call to residents this morning to try and keep water use to a minimum helped to avoid an overflow and we are grateful for the public's assistance.
The build-up of silt that had entered and blocked the pump station has now been cleared and temporary measures that have been put in place are working, enabling us to make the necessary repairs and those repairs are now underway.
Residents say they weren't warned directly about the issues at Ngapuna. They were awoken at midnight to trucks and workers and were warned through Facebook about the use of non-essential water. How will the council improve it's communication in future?
If residents have any ongoing concerns we would be happy to discuss these with them directly.
We are always looking at ways to improve our response and our communication during instances such as this. It will often depend on the nature and urgency of the issue, the location and the time of day.
Because this happened in the middle of the night our crews did not visit nearby residents and a community alert was issued as soon as we were aware of the need to reduce community water use to help us clear the blockage, reduce the risk of an overflow and enable us to get temporary measures in place so we could then get repairs started.
What threat does overflow pose to the lake?
There was no overflow or spill on this occasion.
The emergency procedure in place enabled staff to respond quickly which meant they could contain the wastewater on site at the pump station.
[If an overflow does occur] it could mean a temporary closure of the lake or parts of the lake.
When can residents expect to use their water as normal again?
Repairs are now underway but we are asking that residents remain mindful of their water use and not use water unnecessarily eg keep showers short, only do laundry if necessary, don't leave taps running, only use your dishwasher if necessary. Every bit helps and we will keep the community up to date via Council's public channels (Facebook and website).
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Glass at Susan St playground
Enquiry
I've just spoken with a concerned mum about the ongoing issue of glass in the bark at the Susan St playground.
She says she spoke with the council about the issue and was told the bark would be replaced but replacing it with something like rubber mats would be too expensive.
- How many complaints has the council received about issues at the Susan St playround?
- How many times has the council had to replace the bark at this playground since April 2018?
- How much does it cost to replace the bark each time? (our last story on this issue in April 2018 cited $15,000)
- Last time we highlighted this issue, the council said the playground was at risk of being taken down if the problem persisted. Is this still a possibility?
- How much would it cost to buy and lay rubber mats in place of the bark?
- The mother picked up glass from the playground on Sunday (photo attached) has the bark been replaced since then? If not, will it be?
- What other solutions, if any, is the council considering to combat this issue?
*Reporter later informed us that their photographer found and picked up more glass in the bark at the playground yesterday.
Response
Information provided by Sport, Recreation & Environment Manager Rob Pitkethley:
- How many complaints has the council received about issues at the Susan St playround?We have record of 6 complaints from the public since 2015. The playground is routinely inspected every fortnight (approximately) and glass removal is part of that inspection.
- How many times has the council had to replace the bark at this playground since April 2018?Twice. Most recently the bark was entirely replaced in July 2019.
- How much does it cost to replace the bark each time? (our last story on this issue in April 2018 cited $15,000)The cost of the replacement in 2019 was approximately $18,000 - this includes removal of the bark and underlying foundation, disposal, purchase of the new bark and transportation.
- Last time we highlighted this issue, the council said the playground was at risk of being taken down if the problem persisted. Is this still a possibility?Removal of a playground would be a very last resort. This is a well-used playground that the community should be able to use and enjoy safely.
- How much would it cost to buy and lay rubber mats in place of the bark?The estimated cost for rubber matting is $57,000. Rubber mats are not damage-proof and are significantly more expensive to replace or fix than bark.
- The mother picked up glass from the playground on Sunday (photo attached) has the bark been replaced since then? If not, will it be?Contractors were on site within two hours of the complaint coming to Council. Their staff spent an hour combing through the bark and removing glass.The reason we carried out full replacement of the bark in the past was because it had appeared that glass had been intentionally buried within the bark. The bark was fully replaced to ensure any glass buried deep was removed. On this occasion it appears that the glass was litter as opposed to being left to cause harm
- What other solutions, if any, is the council considering to combat this issue?Vandalism or the mistreatment of community spaces is an issue that we deal with daily and district wide. Sadly, there are always people who choose to do the wrong thing. This is a community issue that requires a long-term community ownership approach. We encourage people to report any issues to Council as soon as they can and if they see any anti-social or criminal behaviour to report it to the police.