Residents win fight to stop poo tanks
Parklands and North New Brighton residents have won the battle to stop underground wastewater tanks being installed on their properties.
Their victory should save the Christchurch City Council around $40 million in capital costs.
After the quakes the council decided it would be best to replace the badly damaged gravity-fed sewer system with a pressure wastewater system that relied on underground wastewater tanks in parts of the city considered at high risk of liquefaction.
The council claimed the tanks would be a better option than the traditional gravity system which failed after the quakes, leaving thousands of homes reliant on portaloos and chemical toilets.
But the $82 million project upset some residents who were troubled by the prospect of having the tanks on their land. They were worried they could hurt property values, emit nasty odours and be costly to run.
In mid-2013, Richmond resident Andrew Bailey sought a High Court application for a judicial review of the council’s decision to implement the new pressure system in his area. The court ruled that the council’s decision not to consult property owners in Richmond before it made its decision to install the new wastewater system was flawed.
Bailey, acting on behalf of the Concerned Christchurch Citizens Group, then filed another application for a judicial review of the council’s decision in relation to seven other areas. Before that could be heard, the council decided to halt the roll-out in Parklands and North New Brighton.
The council has now decided that it will not extend the pressure wastewater network any further and will instead repair the damaged gravity sewer system, saving itself around $40m in capital expenditure.
Council infrastructure rebuild general manager John Mackie said the capital savings were considerable but when whole-of-life operating costs were added into the equation there was little price difference between installing the pressure wastewater system and repairing and maintaining the gravity-fed system.
Paddy Brandon, who until last month was chairman of the Parklands Residents’ Association, said the council had made the right decision and it was heartening to know they had listened to the residents.
He said some in the community had been happy to have the tanks installed on their properties but many had been totally opposed.
Councillor Glenn Livingstone said the issue had divided the community and he was pleased the matter was finally resolved. The Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team would now be able to get on with fixing the wastewater system so that road repairs in places like Bower Ave could proceed.