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Resolution
number WTK/2025/27
MOVED by Member L
Manley, seconded by Deputy Chairperson M Clayton:
That
the Waitākere Ranges Local
Board:
a)
tautoko / support the need to protect and enhance the
health and mauri of Aotearoa New Zealand’s different categories of
waterbody.
b)
tautoko / support
the four areas to which wastewater standards will be applied
c)
tautoko / support
tailored treatment requirements for the seven categories of waterbody.
d)
tuhi tīpoka / note that the stated purpose of the proposed wastewater
environmental performance standards is to set nationally consistent
requirements for all public wastewater networks and operators.
e)
tuhi tīpoka / note the proposed wastewater environmental performance
standards should actively work to improve the water quality of the
waterbodies in New Zealand. Any revision to wastewater environmental
standards must not be any less than are currently in place.
f)
tuhi tīpoka / note concern that the proposal does not provide
differentiation for areas of high urban density, which will have the same
standards applied as areas where population density is lower.
g)
tuhi tīpoka / note that the state and operation of wastewater plants in
the Auckland region is better than in most other regions, but that urban
growth will place significant pressures on the operation of existing plants.
h)
tuhi tīpoka / note concern that there is no provision for
ecosystem-specific application of the standards. National wastewater
standards may constrain the range of tools available to achieve appropriate
environmental outcomes in different receiving environments.
i)
tuhi tīpoka / note concern that there is no provision for seasonal
variation to wastewater discharge standards. Seasonal effects of some
contaminants (nitrogen and phosphorus for example) are more pronounced in
warmer weather than colder.
j)
tuhi tīpoka / note the lack of integration between the Water Services
Act 2021 and the Resource Management Act (RMA). Wastewater standards made
under the Water Services Act will prevail over the RMA. The broad
framework provided by the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management
(and other National Environmental Standards) would then not apply to
discharges managed under the Water Services Act 2021.
k)
tono / request that
the implications of this are assessed and reported, and this information
informs guidance material to support implementation of the standards.
l)
tuhi tīpoka / note that engaging the community is vital for the success
of environmental initiatives.
m)
tono / request
engagement with mana whenua, environmental and community groups, the rural
sector, forestry and other commercial interests that have a flow-on effect.
n)
tuhi tīpoka / note that 35-year consent terms give council certainty for
long-term wastewater management and investment planning.
o)
tono / request the
inclusion of a robust and regular review process over the 35 years to allow
for changes to environmental standards where necessary in response to the
pressures of climate change.
p)
āhukahuka / recognise
that 57 per cent of the public wastewater network plant infrastructure will
require reconsenting over the next decade and that a significant proportion
of the wastewater plant infrastructure is 30-40 years old, and the current
capacity is not aligned to expected population growth and urban development.
q)
tuhi tīpoka / note that in addition to p), the current infrastructure
does not have the capacity to cope with the pressures of climate change.
r)
tuhi tīpoka / note that as a result of the 2023 Auckland Anniversary
floods, the annual average flow at Mangere Treatment Plant that year was
higher than regulated. Very high flow volumes can compromise the ability of
the plant to cope, and result in raw sewerage being discharged into the
harbour. Raw sewerage was discharged into the Manukau Harbour for a 45-minute
period during the Anniversary storms. This is likely to continue to happen as
one in one hundred weather events become more frequent.
s)
tuhi tīpoka / note that vastly higher total flows due to hugely
significant weather events will have a detrimental effect on contaminant
loads and this needs to be closely monitored and accurately reflected in the
HEMP report.
t)
do not support
setting all wastewater network overflows as controlled activity. During
unplanned, uncontrolled outages of water treatment plants, the plant may be
by-passed, resulting in the discharge of raw sewerage.
u)
question the
suitability of high-volume gates which can be closed to water from the
central interceptor being designed on a one in one-hundred-year basis. Severe
storms will happen with greater frequency.
v)
tuhi tīpoka / note the potential for considerable capital cost if we
don’t build in more protection.
w)
āhukahuka / acknowledge
on-going land instability issues at the coast and along waterways which will
continue due to climate change, and which may impact on receiving
environments.
CARRIED
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