Martinborough Ponds sewerage system has taken a small step towards complying with a formal notice to cease-and-desist all new sewage connections after it earlier failed to meet required performance and compliance standards.
Greater Wellington Regional Council issued its formal Abatement Notice in August 2022, which means all applications for new wastewater connections in Martinborough have been put on pause for up to two years from May 2023.
The notice warned South Wairarapa District Council that extra connections to the sewerage system “would further compromise the plant’s performance, increasing the risk to the environment, public health and safety.”
The public health risk from previous discharges to the river is very low and the environmental risks were negligible, SWDC said.
The notice meant the council had to halt any and all “unauthorised discharges” from the sewage pond, front up with a corrective action plan and then “comply (with the discharge controls) by 15 August 2023.”
Greater Wellington has now formally accepted the corrective plan and a “lower level abatement notice has been issued that requires the Council to address the immediate non-compliances related to the plant,” SWDC said in a statement.
“This means the plant remains non-compliant and further connections remain on pause,” it added.
The council must now complete desludging planning for the pond which has not been cleaned in 50 years, carry out extra monitoring of wastewater to aid future upgrades, and investigate and optimise the plant’s Ultraviolet disinfection equipment.
Mayor Martin Connelly said he’s keen to see council continue to follow through as required now that the original abatement notice has been lifted.
“I am delighted to see that we have kept to our word … addressed the abatement notice and are
making good progress,” he noted. “District growth is an important part of our plans which is why getting Martinborough’s treatment plant fully compliant again is a priority.”
The plant requires significant investment to resolve its current non-compliances and the council said it’s considering all options for this.
It notes a key issue is Inflow and Infiltration, which occurs when groundwater and stormwater find its way into the wastewater pipes, often due to leaky pipes underground or cross-connections.
This increases the volume of water entering the treatment plant, particularly during periods of high rainfall, pushing the plant beyond its operational capacity.
The council has until next August to deliver on its action plan promises.
Currently the council has no active subdivision applications for sewerage connection consents that have been halted, and it has not indicated when approvals will resume. It has an unconfirmed number of applicants seeking building connection approvals.
Mayor Connelly added: “we hope to have the plant compliant within 24 months. We will pause new connections for only as long as needed.”
