Many Christchurch Homes Still Without City Sewerage

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27426, 12 August 1954, Page 10

Many Christchurch Homes Still Without City Sewerage

In the Christchurch Metropolitan Drainage Board’s district, nearly 2.5,000 persons are living in houses which have not been connected to the sewerage system, a and which have not been equipped with septic tanks or chemical lavatories. Some of these houses are within two miles of Cathedral square —in the north—and a .little more than two miles from’ the centre of the city, in the r Bromley and Dallington districts. The total number of residents whose homes are without sewerage is much more than 25,000, for in the built-up areas of Waimairi qounty alone, there are 500 septic tanks, and there are many more in New Brighton, Heathcote, Halswell, and Paparua. There are, too, many people who have to make their own arrangements about the disposal of sewage. They are not in areas connected to the sewerage system, and they are not serviced by night soil collectors. Some areas may be without sewerage for many years, for connexion to the system is regarded as a completely uneconomic proposition. It is expected that there will be several such areas left as pockets quite close to the centre of the city, as the board’s reticulation programme advances. In the Christchurch city area, 3664 houses are serviced by night soil collectors and of these 2590 are at New Brighton. There are 525 in the old city area and the area taken over from the Heathcote County Council. In the part of the city formerly in the Waimairi County, there are 549 such houses.

Drainage Board’s Task These figures, and a study of a map of Christchurch and outlying districts, serve to emphasise the magnitude of the Drainage Board’s task. The board’s area extends as far north as Brooklands, west beyond Islington, and south to Halswell. It includes large areas in the Heathcote, Halswell, Papanui, and Waimairi counties. \ In the city area, the districts still depending on a night soil service are many and widespread. The most central are those in a large block beyond Westminster street near Kelly’s road and Philpott’s road. There is another large night soil service area between Harewood road and Wairakei road, ♦ the bi g« est is the district of Mcßratney’s road. Horseshoe Lake road, and Marshland road. Other such areas are in McGregor’s road, several large blocks between Linwood and the estuary, along Page’s road. Wainoni road, and Bower avenue. To the south, there are similar but much smaller areas.

The built-up areas in the Waimairi county, including Belfast and Kainga. have 1350 households on the night soil service; and there are, in the same areas, about 500 septic tanks. The 7X ithout sanitation are in the Philpotts road-Wihter’s road ar>ea along the Main North road to Belfast, for aM of Marshland road, and in a lar ? e .. ar ea between Yeldhurst road and the Mam South road. There are. too ’ several streets in Fendalton without place, Vernon place, and Chepstowe avenue.

Heathcote System The Heathcote county is better served than most The county council installed its own sev’erage scheme before the Drainage Board took over, and there are few areas now unsewered. There are about 33 houses in Bowenvale avenue and Centaurus

road which are not on the sewer, and most of these have septic tanks. There are about 18 houses in the Horotane valley, 20 in Avoca valley and 24 about the end of Opawfl road without sewers. In all, there are about 150 houses in the county -Without sewerage facilities, and half of them have septic tanks. The number of unsewered houses will soon be reduced, for the Drainage Board is installing the sewer in Bowenvale avenue and Centaurus road. . There are about 1200 houses in tht built-up areas of the Paparua county and only a small number, on the fringe of the Upper Riccarton ar«aare connected to the sewerage system. Half the houses have septic tanks, and the others are serviced bv a night soil collection. There are 307 houses in HalsweU on a similar service, and about 200 with septic tanks, for there is no sewerage in the whole counts The Drainage Board has a long task ahead of it, but in New Brighton, for instance, progress is being made with reticulation. It is agreed that the whole New Brighton area could sewered in 18 months were it possible to let aU remaining five contracts a* once. The board has almost 40,000 houses on its sewerage system, a steady in* crease having been made in the few years. In 1945. the total was33.wj Many new subdivisions will be linked up at the end of the year, particularly in the north and west, where the equipment is in place and it require* only the lifting of the prohibition on linking for hundreds more homes w be serviced. The prohibition was mad? necessary by the over-loading of system, but with the completion the southern relief sewer and th? 6 rising main diversion, a notavie advance will be made.