Video: Wastewater treatment plants suffer damage from Cyclone
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has revealed that its wastewater treatment plants at Waipukurau and Waipawa were both damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle two weeks ago.
This follows on from Napier’s wastewater treatment plant at Awatoto, which is still not operational, resulting in raw sewage being pumped into the sea. Hastings’ East Clive treatment plant fared better and was kept going by diesel generator when the power was out.
CHB Mayor Alex Walker said today that both the Waipukurau and Waipawa plants were affected, with “severe damage” being caused to the one in Waipawa.
“That is mostly back online now. We have got some componentry that means that the final tertiary treatment is not happening. But it is in a semi-treated state operating through there and the teams are working at pace on resolving those issues."
Walker said that with regard to drinking water, about 3000 people across Waipawa and Otane had been reconnected to water, but a boil water notice was in place.
“We have not been able to reinstate the treatment of that water network as yet. So all 3000 of those people are under a boil water notice.”
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says the Hastings East Clive Wastewater Treatment Plant had been operational throughout the whole cyclone response.
“It’s taken thousands and thousands of litres of diesel every day to keep it operating, but all of the waste has been screened and just as business as usual operated. When the power was off, it operated through generators and diesel.”
The same could not be said for Napier’s treatment plant, with the city’s mayor Kirsten Wise telling Hawke’s Bay App last week that council staff had only managed to get access to the plant then to assess the damage.
“The treatment of wastewater is not happening, so at this point, it is being discharged into the sea.”
“That is a key area of focus for us, particularly now that we have been able to actually access the plant. We've got all hands on deck coming up with the plan around that.”
The City's wastewater pump stations have continued pumping, however, the waste is not being treated but is being pumped to sea via the outfall pipe.
