Council response to recent wastewater incidents in Masterton
Masterton District Council is undertaking further network investigations following the recent overflow issues experienced by some users across the wastewater network during July's heavy rainfall event.
Chief Executive Kym Fell said that while public attention has focused on Council infrastructure following wastewater overflows, investigations indicate that stormwater entering the wastewater network from private properties was a significant contributing factor in this event.
"It is understandable that people look to Council when an overflow occurs. However, it is important to recognise that there are often several factors that lead to network capacity issues during these events," Mr Fell said.
"Our investigations indicate that stormwater entering the wastewater network from private properties contributed significantly to overwhelming the system during the period of heavy rainfall."
Council says one of the most common causes is cross-connections, where roof gutters or other stormwater drains have been connected to the wastewater system rather than to an appropriate stormwater disposal point. While these alterations may have been made to address drainage issues on private properties, they place additional pressure on infrastructure that is not designed to handle both stormwater and wastewater. Such connections are also illegal.
"Each network is designed to manage a specific type and volume of water. When additional stormwater enters the wastewater system, it exceeds what the network was designed to accommodate and can result in the overflow events we continue to see during periods of heavy rainfall."
"Council has invested significantly in its water infrastructure in recent years, including in areas recently affected by flooding. This has included the installation of wastewater holding tanks with backflow prevention, as well as broader network and pipe upgrades."
"Those upgrades have improved the resilience of the network, but they cannot offset the impact of significant volumes of stormwater entering the wastewater system from private properties."
"Property owners are responsible for the plumbing setup within their property boundary, and it is important that people understand what their current setup looks like and whether it complies with relevant bylaws and regulations," said Mr Fell.
"To support this process, Council will work with residents in affected areas to identify whether there are any illegal connections on their properties. Where cross-connections are identified, property owners will be required to disconnect them, and Council will work alongside homeowners to achieve voluntary compliance."
"While we want to support our community to become compliant, Council does have enforcement powers under its bylaws should that become necessary. This is not about shifting responsibility. However, following these recent events, we need to address the key causes of these incidents to ensure the wastewater system manages the volumes of water it was designed and intended to process."
"Council has invested significantly in upgrading the public wastewater network and will continue to do so. However, protecting that investment requires everyone to meet their own responsibilities."
"The community rightly expects Council to maintain reliable infrastructure, and we take that responsibility seriously. Equally, where private property connections are contributing to network failures, those issues also need to be addressed. Lasting solutions require both Council and property owners to play their part."
Investigative work will begin in the coming weeks.
