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Kaikoura has only one publicly owned sewerage system; that is the one servicing the Kaikoura township itself.
Goal
To protect the health of the District's residents and environment by providing an efficient and effective means of collecting, treating and disposing of sewage effluent.
Background and Rationale for the Council’s Involvement
Council has a social obligation to provide sanitary works, to promote community health and safety, and to manage the environment in a suitable manner.
Currently 1,396 properties within the urban area have access to a sewer reticulation system consisting of 19km of pipes and 8 pump stations (1,206 properties are connected, the balance being bare land). The sewage is treated in oxidation ponds before being discharged into ground.
The Existing Situation Described
All of the sewerage pump stations have been progressively upgraded over the last couple of years. Council is continuing with upgrading the ponds and filtration beds to ensure that the sewerage system will cope with a population of 10,000 by 2014, as well as constructing a new line to take sewage from proposed new developments.
Infiltration and surface water inflow into the sewer reticulation has previously been identified as an issue. However, following the upgrade of the pump stations in 2001/2002, the affects of infiltration and inflow have not been significant.
Significant Negative Effects
The purpose of providing sewerage systems is arguably to eliminate significant negative effects – should this infrastructure not exist, the public health of all residents would be at risk – however this activity does create its own negative effects, mainly in smells and concentration of effluent at treatment facilities.
Council has upgraded its pump stations to lessen the risk of overflow, and undertaken a program of improvements at the sewage treatment and disposal facility. Mysterious sewage type smells have been reported for some time in the West End, and numerous attempts made to identify the source. Progress is being made in this regard with the installation of bio-filters at each of the pump stations.
Proposed Future Capital Works
The most significant capital works that are required to meet the demands of projected growth are going to have to be undertaken within the next three years to provide the same (or better) level of service to the additional developments proposed during this time.
Current upgrade reports suggest that work will be done in stages, with the resulting infrastructure having a capacity of more than double the existing.
The following table describes the proposed capital works
|
2005/2006 |
Within 10 Years |
| Oxidation Ponds (Stage 1a) |
|
400,000 |
| Oxidation Ponds (Stage 1b) |
400,000 |
400,000 |
| Oxidation Ponds (Stage 1c) |
150,000 |
150,000 |
| Oxidation Ponds (Stage 2) |
|
300,000 |
| Mainline (Churchill to Hawthorne Rd) |
664,000 |
1,172,000 |
| Mainline (Hawthorne to Mill Rd) |
|
1,000,000 |
| Mainline (Mill Rd to Oxidation Ponds) |
|
800,000 |
| Biofilters |
|
15,000 |
How Capital Works are to be Funded
The Council proposes to fund the cost of these new capital works first by utilising the proceeds received from financial and/or development contributions, then by raising loans. There are expected to be significant contributions received within the next three years.
In addition to the above-mentioned new capital expenditure, the cost of renewal work (replacement or development of an existing asset to its original capacity or condition) is estimated to cost up to $1.9 million over the next ten years. The cost of all renewal work will be funded by the annual depreciation provision.
Any depreciation balance each year will be used to repay debt, and therefore reduce the annual loan servicing costs.
Who pays for the cost of Sewerage services?
A sewerage pan charge (flat charge for every toilet or urinal) is charged on every property connected to the sewerage system. The charge varies according to the number of toilets on a property, and the type of property. For example, a school or church is charged less per toilet than a residential property.
All rateable properties within the Kaikoura urban area also pay a sewerage loan rate. Both of these rates are calculated on the capital value of a property.
For more information on these rates, click here.
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