Failure to fix home sewer pipes concern
Christchurch City Council is concerned work to replace 600km of earthquake-damaged sewer mains could be undermined by homeowners failing to fix pipes on their properties.
Thousands of homeowners have received Earthquake Commission (EQC) payouts to repair broken sewer pipes, but the council has been unable to find out if the repair work has been carried out.
‘‘How do we know people haven’t pocketed the money and not done the repairs?’’ Cr Pauline Cotter asked at the council’s infrastructure, transport and environment committee meeting last week.
The council has spent hundreds of millions of dollars replacing about 600km of quake-damaged sewer mains across the city, but is not responsible for fixing the private laterals – the sewer pipes that run from the household gully trap to the property boundary. They are the responsibility of the property owners.
Damaged laterals pose a risk to the main sewers and the wastewater treatment plant as excess sand, silt and groundwater could get into the system through them and damage it. Wastewater could also seep out of damaged pipes contaminating the surrounding area.
Cr Clearwater said he was concerned some of the wastewater could get into the city’s waterways and groundwater.
EQC has received about 6000 drainage claims so far and has spent $24 million settling 4400 of those claims.
EQC customer and claims general manager Trish Keith said almost all the claims had been cash settled and it was up to the homeowner to ensure the repair work was carried out appropriately.
Cr Mike Davidson said the council needed to know who has fixed their drains and who had not.
The hidden consequences of this issue could be huge, he said.
Council three waters and waste head John Mackie said he had met with EQC to look at solutions, but there was little EQC could do or was prepared to do. ‘‘All they want to do is write a cheque.’’
EQC was not prepared to provide the council with details of whom it had settled drainage claims with.
Keith said EQC had been in discussions with the council on providing information on earthquake repairs including drainage, but EQC’s priority was to resolve the remaining claims. ‘‘We will address this issue once our work in Canterbury is completed.’’
In 2013 the council asked all Christchurch property owners to get their sewer pipes checked following concerns the earthquakes may have left many of them damaged. The only way to check their condition was to get a registered drainlayer to send down a camera on a cable, which cost more than $200 depending on how easy it was to get access to the pipe.
Homeowners have to pay the cost of the inspection, but EQC would reimburse the cost if a qualified drainlayer confirmed the damage was caused by an earthquake.
The committee has asked staff for a report on the environmental and financial impact of private wastewater laterals not being repaired and options to address the issue.
‘‘How do we know people haven’t pocketed the money and not done the repairs?’’ Cr Pauline Cotter