Piping Whakapapa sewage out of Park 'the only option'

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 573, 14 February 1995, Page 3

Piping Whakapapa sewage out of Park 'the only option'

A recommendation to pipe sewage from Whakapapa and Iwikau villages out of Tongariro National Park has been made by the Whakapapa and Iwikau Sewage working group. The group met last December to consider submissions received, the results of a public meeting, the Department of Conservation's viewpoint as well as feedback the department had received from iwi. After careful consideration, the group recommended that sewage disposal for Iwikau and Whakapapa be piped out of the park and discharged through a wetland system. This means reticulating Iwikau Village and running a pipeline out of Tongariro National Park to a site more capable of handling a sewage treatment plant and the disposal of effluent. Whakapapa Village effluent will join this system. A spokesperson for the group, Don Bogie said that the only environmentally suitable site for a sewage pla.it is on a Landcorp farm adjacent to Tongariro National Park. Landcorp has so far expressed an unwillingness to sell or lease land for a sewage site. However, as they see there being no other suitable sites available the group hopes that Landcorp can be persuaded to change their mind. Other options for sewage disposal involved creating a new sewage plant within the park or discharging close to the Whakapapa River. These options were evaluated but found unsuitable on environmental grounds, Consideration was also given to upgrading the present Whakapapa sewage plant. This was rejected because even with improvements, degradation of nearby streams would continue. Mr Bogie said that removing the sewage from the park was not a matter of moving a problem else where but rather of taking effluent to a site that was more climatically suitable and where there would be the least negative environmental effects.

"Finding a solution to this problem has shown how tourist businesses and conservation organisations can work together to find workable and sustainable solutions to problems Mr Bogie said. 'Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage area, as well as being an important recreational area, it has special environmental and cultural values to protect." Anew company called 'Whakapapa Utilities' would be formed shortly. This company will own, construct and manage the new sewage scheme. Whakapapa Utilities will be owned by those organisations that are connected to it. It is hoped that construction will begin in October 1996, Indicative costs for the scheme are $3.5 million.