YACHTSMEN ANNOYED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 984, 29 May 1930, Page 9

YACHTSMEN ANNOYED

ORAKEI SEWAGE DISCHARGE COURSE MAY BE REVISED “The fault lies with the shipping on the harbour and with discharges from certain areas outside our control,” said the Mayor, Mr. George Baildon. chairman of the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board, at the annual meeting of the board last evening, when a complaint was received from the commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron regarding the discharge of sewage from the Orakei outfall on March 9. It was stated that unless an improvement was effected, the squadron would have to alter the course of the yacht races to avoid the. locality. “During discharge operations there is undoubtedly local pollution over a limited area of the waters of the harbour, in the vicinity of the outfall,” stated a report by the engineer. Mr. IT. H. Watkins. “It can be claimed, however, that a very substantial improvement has been effected by the installation of the additional set of fine screens. “Considerable volumes of unscreened Sewage are discharged into the harbour from certain areas over which the board has no jurisdiction, and also from vessels visiting the port. These discharges proceed at all stages of the tide, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that they are responsible for many complaints which have, from time* to time, been attributed to the Orakei outfall.” “There are often between 1,000 and 1.500 people living on the harbour at one time,” commented Mr. A. J. Entrican. No action was taken.