$220,000 as a growth fee to Watercare;$100,000 to upgrade Watercare\u2019s sewer main, which his new homes will feed into, due to existing sewage overflows on that main.Mike Lane of Citrus objects to paying so much to Watercare.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I\u2019m trying to save $100,000 for that upgrade of the pipe, but if I don\u2019t go forward with this project, then this guy still has raw sewage running over his lawn every time it rains heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd two other developers nearby have stalled their plans due to this pipe problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watercare\u2019s chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera responded to criticism by clarifying the utility provider\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe developers are being asked to pay for the upgrading of the capacity of that sewer pipe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere a development puts additional pressure on our wastewater networks, that developer must pay for any upgrades that are necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s our approach and that\u2019s consistent all across Auckland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watercare’s tunnel boring machine, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, used to dig the Central Interceptor Tunnel.<\/p>\n
Watercare is undertaking a $13.8 billion upgrade <\/a>of the Auckland system.<\/p>\n Perera also explained why Citrus is being charged the $220,000 growth fee.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must pay the infrastructure growth charge, which is applied across all of Auckland, although the amount of money charged varies throughout the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about raw sewage flowing from the Birkdale manhole, Perera said that was taken extremely seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cThat should not be happening and we\u2019ve got a programme to address overflows and capacity. We prioritise that work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Perera could not say when the manhole sewage overflow would be fixed.<\/p>\n He said Watercare manages 20,000km of water and wastewater pipes<\/a> \u201cso we must prioritise the upgrades where they are needed the most\u201d.<\/p>\n Lane wants to talk to Watercare, but says it refused to engage.<\/p>\n Perera said Watercare had in fact engaged with Citrus since last August and had been extremely open to engaging with Lane.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve worked closely with Citrus Living to get to a solution that\u2019s much cheaper but achieved a positive outcome to ensure the situation with the pipes did not get worse,\u201d Perera said.<\/p>\n Responding to Brealey, Perera said Watercare\u2019s door was always open and it was keen to understand his challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything that an organisation like Simplicity can teach us and give us guidance on, we\u2019re more than happy to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Perera acknowledged Watercare had tankered<\/a> sewage from new housing sites at Westgate\u2019s Cardinal West and Warkworth.<\/p>\n But the Westgate tankering is about to stop because the situation was resolved.<\/p>\n The Warkworth situation was being resolved with plans to cease tankering in about 18 months.<\/p>\n Citrus is planning an $8 million, 12-townhouse project at 30 Seon Place, Birkdale.<\/p>\n But 500m from that Citrus site, the home owner in a Stotts Ave property gets overflows in big downpours, Lane found.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the uncertainty of this that gets us. You don\u2019t know at the outset how much you\u2019ll have to pay,\u201d Lane said of Watercare charges.<\/p>\n A civil engineer designed a new drainage system for the engineering plan approval submitted for Watercare\u2019s approval, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWatercare rejected several design iterations. Then a solution was accepted to connect two existing manholes to accommodate the additional capacity from our development.\u201d<\/p>\n Lane visited the site to assess the works, then learned of the nearby property owner\u2019s existing manhole that regularly overflows.<\/p>\n That is during heavy rain.<\/p>\n \u201cRaw sewage spills across his lawn and into the adjacent creek,\u201d Lane said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis raised serious concerns for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Lane said he questioned why Citrus Living was being required to both upgrade what appears to be an already failing public system and also pay infrastructure growth charges of $220,000 plus GST.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are simply seeking a constructive response and a willingness from Watercare to sit down and work through a solution, for both the affected resident and to enable us to meet the requirements for our Seon Place development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nThe micro tunnel boring machine breaks through at Victoria Street East after laying a new wastewater pipe under Queen St, starting at Mayoral Drive.<\/p>\n
Priyan Perera of Watercare. Photo \/ Watercare<\/p>\n
Tankers trucking away wastewater from the Cardinal West housing development at Westgate in Auckland. Photo \/ Jason Oxenham<\/p>\n
The Citrus site in Birkdale. Photo \/ Citrus Living<\/p>\n
The manhole at a property on Stotts Ave, Birkdale is pictured overflowing with sewage in a heavy downpour. Watercare says such issues are a priority to fix. Photo \/ Mike Lane<\/p>\n