SEWAGE DISPOSAL FOR BOROUGH, PART OF COUNTY

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 69, 2 September 1965, Page 1

SEWAGE DISPOSAL FOR BOROUGH,

PART OF COUNTY

Taupo Borough Council last night considered a report on sewage disposal for the whole of the town area and part of the adjoining county, covering reticulation, treatment and disposal.

The report, jointly prep'ared by the consulting engineering firms of R. G. Brickell, Moss and Partn-ers, I^ower Hutt, Kenneth L. Hayman, Taupo, and Steven and Fitzmaurice, Auckland, was put before the council by Mr Hayman. * * The proposals included In the report cover the period to the year 2000 and include estimates of ^population for the area, which is rapidly growing and is estimated to reach a figure of some 50,000 by the end of the century.

Recommendations are made that consideration should be given to the construction of a sewage treatment plant capable of serving the initial peak holiday population of 27,000 persons expected in the year 1980. An immediaie sewerage reticulation of commercial and residential areas adjoining the lakeshore is reconunended to he carried out, thus solving immediate existing sewage problems and also protecting the shore of Iiake Taupo from pollutlon.

The . report recommends progressive further reticulation so that the whole of Taupo borough will be reticulated by the year 1980, at which time the treatment plant will require extension and further residential areas within the county and adjoining the lake foreshore can be reticulated. and con-n-ected to the scheme. It is important that the waters of Lake Taupo will be protected against any possibility of pollution or enrichment. and the site of sewage treatment facilities and method of treatment have received careful consideration.

The report recommends the siting of the treatment plant, to he termed the Upper Waikato Pollution Contro! Plant, of the most modern and efficient design, on the hank of the Waikato River. Complete treatment will be carried out, using sound, proved methods of sewage treatment, which will ensure an effluent quality which will in no way detract from the natural river environment, and which will more than meet the requirements of the Pollution Advisory Council. Capital costs of the scheme, including reticula-

tion and pollution control plant costs to serve 27,000 people by the year 1980, are estimated to arno u nt to £612,900. Estimated annual costs on the scheme represent at that time an expenditure of 1.4d. per person per day. After consideration of the report the council decided to refer the proposal to the Department of Health and the Pollution Advisory Council for comment.