SEWAGE INTO HARBOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 70, 24 March 1937, Page 11

SEWAGE INTO HARBOUR

SERIOUS POSITION

REPORT TO BOARD

"Arising but of complaints 'received from shipping, the attention, of the Wellington ' City Council was. directed "'to the; serious state. of .affairs-r that existed in connection, with,.the city sewerage, system as it affects the. harbour," stated the annual report \ of" the Wellington Harbour Board.'. "For some years: the board has < been".complaining to ;- the City Council of jthe amount of sewage that has been .'finding, its way into the harbour through the various ' stormwater culverts - discharging, withm; the radius, of 'the city wharves. -It- has been admitted .by. the civic,authorities .that the ■pres'eht^se.w.erage.'/systembis; overloaded .and that,; instead "-'of '^the ejector overflowipipes being used; only for: emergency: and. temporary cases of mechanical breakdowns, they, in.effect; J have been ■ called'^ upon.. to:tact '", as.V relieving sewers and, as a result, have caused the diversion into the harbour of considerable quantities of crude sewage.

"Temporary steps have been taken by the City Engineer to improve the present state of things but, as far as the Harbour Board is concerned, it is evident that the present city sewerage system requires immediate attention and better provision made for the future. In a comprehensive report to the City Council, the City Engineer has made it clear that extensive additions, involving a large sum. of money, are required to the city sewerage system. This report has been adopted by the city authorities. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that unless extensive improvements in the present city sewerage system are carried out at an early date, the position of the Harbour Board in regard to the use of these stormwater culverts as relieving sewers will require to be reviewed in order to prevent the cause of the complaints^ of the past."