Based on figures from Whang\u0101rei District Council (WDC)\u2019s initial discussions with the developer, about 1600 tanker-loads of treated wastewater could be trucked to the Kioreroa Rd treatment plant, carrying about 504,000 litres a day north over summer.<\/p>\n
That would amount to about 486,000km for tanker journeys between \u014crewa and Whang\u0101rei, including traversing the Brynderwyn Hills, and more than $2 million in WDC council discharge fees.<\/p>\n
Auckland Council and Watercare opposed the development, saying in their submissions to the fast-track panel it was out of sequence with council growth plans and lacked drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Watercare has been approached for comment.<\/p>\n
Wastewater would initially be treated on-site at Delmore before being trucked off-site.<\/p>\n
Delmore could be home to about 3500 people based on a typical Auckland household size, more than twice the population of Northland\u2019s Waip\u016b.<\/p>\n
The residential project is being undertaken by Auckland-based land development company Vineway Ltd and overseen by residential property developer Myland Partners.<\/p>\n
Northland Green MP H\u016bhana Lyndon said she was concerned about the precedent of trucking wastewater from a private Auckland development to Northland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really worrying. Do we want Tai Tokerau to become the dumping ground for Auckland\u2019s wastewater and septic?\u201d Lyndon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat comes next?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lyndon said councils, communities, hap\u016b and iwi were being sidelined by the fast-track process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fast-track panel has made its draft decision about a private development project in Auckland. But it\u2019s the Whang\u0101rei community that is affected by this waste. Where do we get our voices heard in the process?\u201d<\/p>\n
Save Our Harbour campaign leader Tim Howard said he was worried about the additional pressure Delmore\u2019s effluent would place on Whang\u0101rei\u2019s wastewater system as the city continued to grow.<\/p>\n
He said it was irresponsible for the expert panel to grant draft approval, as \u201cthe infrastructure needed to cope with the development should have been sorted before it was given the draft green light\u201d.<\/p>\n
Howard said trucking wastewater was a temporary fix to a problem requiring a permanent solution.<\/p>\n
A fast-track spokesperson said the expert panel had yet to make its final decision, due on August 10 and containing a full evaluation of effects, benefits and conditions.<\/p>\n
Howard also criticised WDC for indicating during preliminary discussions with the developer \u2013 without first consulting local hap\u016b \u2013 that the Kioreroa Rd plant had capacity to accept the wastewater.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kaitiakitanga tangata whenua are responsible for in their local areas cannot simply be transferred somewhere else,\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n
He was equally concerned the council had not sought the views of ratepayers and the wider community.<\/p>\n
Howard\u2019s concerns stem from years campaigning against sewage overflows into Whang\u0101rei Harbour when heavy rain overwhelmed the city\u2019s wastewater network.<\/p>\n
The Save Our Harbour campaign culminated in a 2008 march through central Whang\u0101rei when hundreds of residents demanded action over recurring sewage spills. By 2012, WDC had spent $58m addressing sewage overflows, committed a further $4m to treatment plant upgrades and budgeted another $32m for future spill-reduction work following years of community pressure.<\/p>\n
Whang\u0101rei Mayor Ken Couper said the council had an initial discussion in November with a consultant working on behalf of Myland Partners.<\/p>\n
Couper said the council had confirmed the Kioreroa Rd treatment plant had capacity to take the wastewater.<\/p>\n
Whang\u0101rei\u2019s wastewater infrastructure had constraints in some areas, but these were in the supporting pipe network rather than at the treatment plant itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Whang\u0101rei wastewater treatment plant currently treats only a small portion of what is allowed under its consent,\u201d Couper said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur understanding is that initial volumes would be approximately 504 cubic metres a day and that this could increase in later stages of the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cTimeframes have not been discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Couper said no formal agreement had been presented to the council.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny request to use Whang\u0101rei\u2019s wastewater infrastructure would need to be carefully evaluated to ensure it does not negatively impact services, infrastructure capacity, environmental outcomes or residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cA formal agreement would need to be in place. Any wastewater accepted for treatment would also be subject to the appropriate charges, so the costs would not fall on Whang\u0101rei ratepayers.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsideration would also need to be given to any transport and traffic effects associated with moving wastewater by truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to criticism about hap\u016b involvement, Couper said any formal request from the developer to use Whang\u0101rei\u2019s wastewater infrastructure would also require appropriate engagement.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Andrew Allsopp-Smith, a property developer with Myland Partners, which oversees the Delmore project being undertaken by Vineway, said the expert panel\u2019s draft decision was pleasing.<\/p>\n
Allsopp-Smith said Whang\u0101rei had been considered as a destination for Delmore\u2019s treated wastewater because Watercare had refused to accept it at Auckland facilities.<\/p>\n
The developer remained committed to working with the water services company to \u201csee if an agreement can be reached around connections to the public network\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to work constructively with Watercare about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the development\u2019s treated wastewater could be discharged on-site during its initial years.<\/p>\n
Off-site trucking would only be required if Delmore could not connect to Auckland\u2019s public wastewater network at each stage of development and wastewater therefore had to be treated on-site.<\/p>\n
If trucking was required, it would only be needed for three months over summer, once development reached a certain level.<\/p>\n
Allsopp-Smith said the development\u2019s first stage would generate a maximum of 197 cubic metres (197,000 litres) of treated wastewater a day needing to be transported off-site over three months in summer.<\/p>\n
That was significantly less than the volume initially discussed with WDC, he said.<\/p>\n
Calculations based on Allsopp-Smith\u2019s figure show about seven truckloads a day, or roughly 630 truckloads over the three-month period heading to Whang\u0101rei.<\/p>\n
The WDC wastewater discharge fee would be about $794,000.<\/p>\n
Allsopp-Smith said when the development\u2019s first stage of 475 homes was fully occupied, there would be an average of five truckloads during the three summer months.<\/p>\n
Traffic assessments had not raised concerns, he said.<\/p>\n
Whang\u0101rei was one of several possible destinations for treated wastewater and Auckland-based facilities had also confirmed they could accept it if required, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf transporting treated wastewater ends up being required, we will look at the different options available and decide which to use depending on what is most suitable at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there was already precedent adjacent to Delmore for Watercare to connect greenfield landholdings to Auckland\u2019s public network where consented or imminent developments existed on land zoned for future urban intensification.<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n