Seven more years up Schitts Creek?
By Ray Lilley
Eighteen months of repairs and a block on new sewerage connections – and only seven years to go to fix the mess. When? – 2031.
That was the message from the little-known Joint Community Liaison Group’s meeting to report and review progress on the Martinborough and Greytown sewerage ponds saga, which has seen all new connections suspended after operating consents were breached.
Current plans allow only buildings granted consents before July 2023 to connect to the system, and for the initial work on the Martinborough pond to be completed by mid-2025.
Wait. Only the initial work? But surely that “fixes” the capacity problem? Not according to the Joint Community Liaison Group’s briefing.
To date, what are called “Influence Flow & Quality Monitoring” and “UV Investigation and Implementation” works are complete.
The next stage, known as Desludging the Ponds, was reported as on track, meaning design has been signed off so work can begin in the summer using “geobags” to store the sludge as it’s pumped from the ponds. This work has never previously been carried out at any stage during the 51-year life of the ponds.
Once full, the massive watertight geobags will be stored where they have been filled to allow the dewatered sludge to turn into compost over several years. The geobag life is guaranteed for 20 years.
The next problem? Desludging does not increase the capacity of the ponds.
South Wairarapa is facing “eight years of big upgrades for both plants,” Adam Mattson of Wellington Water told the meeting last month.
“Planning work for long-term upgrades has already begun. We are working for a 2031 completion.”
Aaron Johnston, Greater Wellington Regional Council representative, added that “the effluent (outflow) quality is still a big challenge at both of the plants,” but “it’s moving in the right direction.”
What was flagged to the group as a “significant operational achievement” was Greytown’s 2023 – 2024 irrigation season’s successful discharge of 73,500m3 of treated effluent to land.
The other good news?
Work will likely begin shortly on planning and design work for the land irrigation projects at both plants _ including design of the pumps and pipeline to shift waste water from Martinborough Ponds to Pain Farm Estate for dispersal.
What officials called “growth-capacity studies” have been commissioned by contractor Wellington Water.
These studies will help South Wairarapa District Council “determine what treatment capacity upgrades can be implemented at the plants.”
In turn, this will help the Council decide the “level of growth they wish to enable” in the two towns _ which in turn must fit within the “conditions and intentions of the resource consents” for the waste water plants set by Greater Wellington, the PowerPoint slide noted.
SWDC rep. Nick Hewer-Hewitt confirmed the need for “a study on (community) growth (is needed) to help inform decisions about our future growth levels.”
He also noted the “desludging operation is unlikely to address not-yet-approved town developments.
“We’re doing an operation of desludging but that’s not like the golden bullet (which) at the end is going to fix everything.”
In other words, all the work now under way is only addressing current issues, but not the future capacity of the two plants. Details of how long this current project will take to plan and implement were not available, but 2031 remains the target.
Some commentators see the block on consents and approvals for waste connectivity as significantly impacting growth in the two towns.
Relevant information:
PowerPoint slide show: https://swdc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/CLG_Presentation_3Sept2024.pdf
Youtube meeting record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz0He4xJigg
pointers for bottom of P1 article: the first needs correct page number added:
(See also P — : Alternative wastewater options for Martinborough growth)
(And: P2 From the Mayor _ housing growth continues in South Wairarapa)
Caption: Map of proposed pipeline from Martinborough Ponds to Pain Farm.
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