Health warning remains in place as Awatoto wastewater pipe leak persists
A public health warning remains in place as Napier City Council works to fix a leak in a pipe which takes treated wastewater from the Awatoto sewage plant out to sea.
Napier City Council first issued the warning last Friday after the leak was detected halfway along the 1.5km-long pipe.
"Members of the public are advised to avoid collecting shellfish from Town Reef as a leak has been detected along our Awatoto wastewater outfall pipeline," the warning stated.
The Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, iwi and others have all been notified.
Five days on, a council spokeswoman said the warning remained in place and workers were still trying to fix the problem.
"A small percentage of treated wastewater is exiting the pipeline about halfway along its length (1500m).
"We have the warning in place until further notice as what we know of the currents in the area means there is a chance this wastewater will drift in the direction of Town Reef.
"We don’t believe there are any risks to other shellfish gathering sites for this reason."
