'High' break-down of county septic tanks

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 4

'High' break-down of county septic tanks

.Many septic tanks in Paparua County break down according to the council’s chief health inspector. Mr I. B. Dawson. Many areas in the south of the county were wet and septic tanks should not be used, he told the council’s finance committee. He asked that a subcommittee be set up to look at the problem. He suggested that it visit each property which used septic tanks. Cr W. J. Baker said it was not up to ‘the council to try to solve individual problems. He had lived at Tai Tapu, one of the problem areas, for 40 years and had often fixed his own septic tank when it failed. *'A lot is over to the individual. We should not put our sticky little noses into things that are not our business.” The council should wait until the rate-

payers came to the council asking for sewerage. ’ But if we rush around to every farm we would be pushed out of office overnight, and rightly so.” he said. A sub-committee was set up. It consists of Crs J. Y. Pethig (County Chairman), W. J. Baker Deputy Chairman), A. Y. Shuker (Rural District Chairman), A. J. D. .Morton (Tai Tapu), O. Munro (Prebbleton) and R. G. Pearce (Halswell rural). An eight-month survey of the area bounded by Springs Road, Halswell Junction Road and the county’s eastern and southern boundaries was conducted and the results presented’ to the committee.

The survey revealed an over-all failure rate of about 60 per cent. The report said that the failure rate could be 10 to 15 per cent higher because of this year's mild winter

and possible under-state-ment of the problem by some residents. A failure was defined as a septic tank which left effluent on the ground surface. Mr Dawson said some people were not sufficiently motivated to fix their own septic tanks. He said that in some instances the overflowing effluent had been piped into stormwater drains. Cr Baker said that the tanks could be fixed as long as people were prepared to spend money. “We are assuming that our ratepayers are complete nits who let sullage run ail over the ground,” he said. Cr P. K. Keller said that it seemed “incredible” that in the 1980 s a system for disposing effluent which had changed little since the Middle Ages was still being used. He wanted the sub-committee to consider other methods of effluent disposal.