Liz May 1st, 2017
On 27 April STEPS was delighted to host our new Mt Albert MP’s Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Meola Creek in the heart of Mt Albert electorate.
We spoke with Jacinda about the likely increases in storm water pollution due to more extreme weather events at the same time as the the planned “intensification” of Auckland isthmus under the Auckland Unitary Plan. We need housing plans that include funding for stormwater infrastructure so that people’s houses are not flooded, and our beaches not polluted. See Jacinda’s post about Meola.
Background: Meola catchment has minimal or no storm water infrastructure; there are some “combined sewers” where Auckland Council has ‘borrowed’ space from Watercare sewers. These ‘blow’ nearly every time it rains and our flood photos on this site show the results. Sadly Meola has the unenviable record of the highest volume of overflows of raw sewage and heavy metal runoff in Auckland.
STEPS is working closely with Watercare Services on the Central Interceptor. By 2026 (yes 9 years’ time) it is intended to reduce Meola annual sewage overflows from around 100 to around 20 overflows. Without additional work on stormwater the large floods shown in our photo gallery will still occur, and toilet paper and pathogens will still be found on Auckland beaches.
Watercare CEO in Asset Management plan 2016-36 states
- “Continued reliance on the wastewater system for the collection and treatment of stormwater is not sustainable for a growing and liveable city.”
STEPS agrees and calls on Auckland Council to update the Three Waters Strategy, and arrange for long term funding of stormwater infrastructure on the isthmus. STEPS informed Jacinda that we believe Government support will be needed for infrastructure funding.
Put simply – we need an Auckland Isthmus stormwater plan, the funding, and an independent regulator who will ensure it is built.
We were pleased with this first visit, especially in the context that this was the week when the 2017 round of Freshwater submissions to Government occurred.
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Liz April 30th, 2017
STEPS submitted to the Ministry for the Environment’s “Clean Water 2017” consultation document. Having first submitted on Fresh Water standards with Friends of Oakley Creek in 2009, STEPS has watched with dismay as the well founded recommendations of the Land and Water Forum have been “watered down” to the point of being sound bytes. In our view:
- “Swimmability” criteria consider approximately 45,000 kilometres of NZ’s 425,000 km of waterways. This is 10.5% ; and then only 80% of the time… so how does this become “90% of our rivers and lakes are swimmable by 2040” ?
- Urban fresh water and swimming issues have been ignored, yet 33% of NZ population is in Auckland, and 86% “urbanised” according to OECD Environmental Performance Review New Zealand 2017 (OECD)
- A $100 million Freshwater Improvement Fund is proposed compared with the existing $400 million for irrigation funding
We urge the Government to work with Local Governments to provide access to long term sustainable funding to address infrastructure requirements of urban water issues.
Boardwalk under water
STEPS included a case study on Auckland water, highlighting that:
- raw sewage runs into Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf every time it rains
- Auckland’s prime inner city swimming beaches and bays are visually polluted and pathogens such as norovirus have been found. The public do not know if children are safe in the water
- By 2026 Central Interceptor will reduce (not eliminate) sewage overflows by 80%. Watercare CEO states: “Continued reliance on the wastewater system for the collection and treatment of stormwater is not sustainable for a growing and liveable city.” Much of Mt Albert has no stormwater infrastructure and many parts of the city have combined sewage and stormwater into the same pipe.
- Any housing policy based on an intensified Auckland city will founder on raw sewage unless stormwater issues are addressed by Auckland Council
See also a NZ Geographic article on Auckland water: No Swimming and a submissions from EDS and NZFSS.
To address Auckland’s lack of stormwater infrastructure and associated pollution, STEPS proposed in our submission STEPS SUBMISSION FRESH WATER 2017:
- Science based policies to address all fresh water as per Land and Water Forum
- An Independent Regulator for Stormwater as has been done in UK USA and Canada (We support the Stop Auckland Sewage Overflows Coalition’s call.)
- Infrastructure bonds from central Government for stormwater
Up to 60% of the human adult body is water, and it is our roofs, concrete and roads which create runoff and stormwater.
“Ko au te awa. Ko te awa ko au.”
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Liz April 18th, 2017
UPDATE:
Three of us met on 29 April, and despite increasing rain, we collected rubbish on Meola Headwaters near Haverstock outfall on Kerr Taylor Park. When the rain became too much, we retired to the closest café, gumboots and all.
We were delighted to be joined at Ahurangi by Alex Stone who has now been assigned to work on the Roy Clements Treeway signs – it was a novel introduction and augurs well for the signs project.
Ahurangi (Meola headwaters) starts behind the new housing development on Haverstock Road, and next to Plant and Food Research. It runs past the Kura Kaupapa, and the farm, then into Kerr Taylor Park, and it needs some care!
All STEPS members and supporters are invited to help. We’ll collect rubbish and maybe some pest weeds for those that know them. Come join us for just an hour or so.
This clean up was a Neighbourly.co.nz “Great Community Clean Up” event. Thanks for the support Warehouse and Neighbourly.
When: Saturday April 29, 2017, 10:00 – 11:30am
Where: Kerr Taylor Reserve Bridge
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