Projects

You are here > Home > A-Z of Council Services > Projects > Oakura Sewerage Project

Oakura Sewerage Project

The new reticulated sewerage system being installed in Oakura as an alternative to septic tanks is to ensure the sustainability of the local environment.

The system includes the construction of approximately 11km of sewers in Oakura township, with three minor pump stations to convey the sewage to a central pump station in Shearer Reserve. The main pump station in Shearer Reserve will pump sewage to Botany Pl in New Plymouth. The sewage will then be treated as part of the city's sewerage scheme.

The trunk sewer will follow along State Highway 45 for most of its route, except for a small section along Waireka and Omata roads.

The proposed trunk sewer route and pump station locations are shown on the following plan.

Oakura trunk sewer and pump stations plan (One page 2MB PDF)

Timeline

July 2004: Oakura sewerage project approved in Community Plan 2004-2014.

October 2004 - May 2005: Preliminary planning and design.

November/December 2004: 400m length of seafront sewer constructed along Messenger Tce, coinciding with the construction of a rock-filled protection wall.

July/August 2006: 300m of sewer laid in the town's CBD to allow for the refurbishment of the road and footpaths before summer 2006. Underboring was used to reduce the length of open trench required.

27 April 2007: Hearing Commissioner approved the designation of sewer routes and sites for pump stations, stating compliance requirements.

February 2008 - March 2009: Construction of sewer reticulation within Oakura township.

June 2008 - July 2009: Construction of central pump station at Shearer Reserve.

July 2009 - June 2010: Residents who elected to join the scheme must connect.

Current work locations

Contract	Contractor	Current work location (w/e 9 May 2008)
Part A - Western area	Dormer (Construction)	Shearer Dr, Shearer Reserve, Arden Pl
Part B - Wairau Stream / Road area	Whitaker	Telford St, Wairau Rd
Part C - Central area	TBA	-
Part D - Eastern area	Whitaker	Mace Tce, McFarlane St
Part E - Messenger Tce	D Paku	Messenger Tce
Trunk main - Oakura to NP	Keenan	Shearer Reserve, Messenger Tce

Return to top

Progress on construction contracts

Trunk sewer to New Plymouth
December 2007: Pressure pipe delivery completed.

April 2008: Construction of the 11km trunk sewer by Keenan Contracting is progressing with most pipes between Oakura and east of Omata installed.

Pump stations
The main pump station will be on Shearer Reserve, with a booster station to be constructed adjacent to SH45 east of Corbett Park. Secondary pump stations will be at the motor camp, Messenger Tce, and Wairau St intersection and The Key.

December 2007: Fulton Hogan (lowest tender) given letter of intent for a contract for the construction of the pump stations.

Modification of the design of the level of the main pump station and incoming sewers is necessary due to difficult ground conditions. Completion of the design is expected by May. Following the conclusion of negotiations, Fulton Hogan is expected to establish onsite in June 2008.

Reticulation
April 2008: Four of the five reticulation contracts have been awarded and construction has started onsite.

Policy changes and the effect on property owners
The council originally intended to use the reticulation contactor to construct the private drainage work (within properties) and to average the cost of this work across owners who were connecting. All connecting fees would have been equal, irrespective of the extent of work required.

In August 2007, the council decided to omit all private drainage from the immediate construction contacts, leaving property owners to arrange their own connection work. This is in line with sewerage connections within New Plymouth District.

A concession has been made for owners signing up at the initial stage. The council will construct the laterals (across streets where required) to an approved discharge point (typically the property boundary or an adjacent boundary), without charge to the owner. Application forms for the council to bring the sewer laterals to the property boundaries, including an undertaking to connect up in due course, are available from council offices. These are required to be completed and returned by 24 December 2007 to enable these laterals to be included in the project construction.

Should owners choose not to join up at the start of the project, these laterals won't be built and owners will be faced with the cost of doing this work when required (which is the usual policy for new connections in the district). Property owners will be required to decommission their septic tanks, and install private pump stations where needed.

Home owners who sign on now will be required to connect within 12 months of the sewerage scheme being commissioned. Commissioning is expected to be done in mid 2009.

Property connections
All Oakura property owners have been polled to see whether they wish to connect, with 526 accepting the offer. Thirty-seven have declined to connect and 113 have not responded. Return to top

Who is affected?

All of the 600 properties in Oakura will be able to connect to the new reticulated sewerage system. Where public sewer mains go through private properties, owners have been approached to sign easement agreements.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use the council sewer system?
No. Existing dwellings may continue to use their existing treatment system/septic tank so long as it is operating satisfactorily. However, all new buildings and existing buildings whose septic tank system is defective, will be required to connect to the new system.

What will it cost to be connected?
There is no charge to be connected if you elected to do so by 18 January 2008. However, the private drainage work on your property will require a building consent, for which a discounted application fee of $105 is payable.

Once connected, the annual charge on rates is $348 (current charges 2007/08). The cost of making the connection to the sewer main and decommissioning and filling in your septic tanks will depend on the length of private drainage work. This will be the owner's responsibility to arrange and fund.

Due to the topography, a few owners (approximately 60) will need to install private pump stations to reach the sewer mains. It was not possible to design the system to serve all properties with gravity connections e.g. properties along the lower side of Messenger Tce.

For those connecting at the outset, the council has agreed to construct laterals from the sewer mains to the property boundaries at its own cost. However, under a proposed draft bylaw,once connected, property owners will be responsible for the on-going maintenance of their pump pressure pipes.

What will happen to my septic tank?
When properties connect to the new system, septic tanks and other treatment systems will need to be decommissioned and made safe in accordance with the council's requirements (Policy P96-012 “… require the system to be opened up and emptied where appropriate and then filled with sand or other similar inert material or generally made safe from collapse or otherwise by an approved method.”).

Will someone get in touch with me about my connection?
Applications for connections have been canvassed and those choosing to connect will be required to do so within 12 months of the sewerage scheme being commissioned. (The commissioning is expected to be done in early 2009.) All connected properties will be charged the annual targeted rate for sewerage once the scheme is commissioned ($348 in 2007/08).Return to top

How do I go about getting connected up?

Oakura Sewerage Sewer Connection Procedure (19 December 2007)

Application for sewer connection and undertaking to connect to the system, is required by the extended date of 18 January 2008. No fee is required with this application, and in response to it, the council will provide a lateral from the main to the approved discharge point (typically the property boundary or an adjacent property boundary). Additional forms are available from the council, for those having misplaced their forms.
After the scheme is in service, properties not connected may be inspected at any time by a NPDC representative and required to connect if their on-site system is not operating satisfactorily.
In order to determine the location of the laterals (required early in 2008), owners will be approached to provide information on where they require their discharge point. Preliminary proposals were indicated on the council plans, but it is not required to follow these proposals implicitly. Owners are advised to consult a plumber to determine the optimum position for their connection.

The position of the discharge point is required to be provided in writing, and the formal application for a sewer connection including site drainage plan, is the preferred method of providing this.
The sewerage system is expected to be commissioned in mid 2009, and the council cannot accept any responsibility should this commissioning be delayed. Owners making application now will have 12 months from the date of commissioning to make their connection (and commence being charged the annual charge on rates – currently $348 pa). No such charge shall apply until the scheme is commissioned and functioning.
The formal application for sewer connection including drainage plan, requires the detailed proposals for on site plumbing to be provided by property owners, or owner’s plumber. Plans need to show drainage details including septic tank/existing system, to be pumped out and disposed of as required. The application fee for this is $105. Only once the system has been commissioned, will owners be able to have their plumber complete drainage work and make connection.
Some common connections joining several properties are shown on the consultants design plans, and up to seven properties may be joined in this manner. Owners will need to make their own arrangements for private easements across neighbour’s properties, and for any agreements for common connections.

How much is the project going to cost?
The council initially approved funding of $19.1 million for the project. In April 2008 the total cost of the project rose to $24.27 million. Ground conditions have meant the construction of deep sewers is impractical and construction of the pump station at its origin depth is risky. Plans are being redesigned to meet these environmental demands. Also, two additional small pump stations are being constructed. These factors, along with the actual tendered rates of construction contracts, have led to the increase in the project costs.

Who’s doing the work?
Construction of the project will be done by a number of different contractors working for the council. Preliminary investigations were done in 2004 by consultants CH2M Beca. Consulting engineers GHD Limited have undertaken the detailed design using local firm Apex as sub-consultants for the design of the reticulation system.

How big are the pipes?
The trunk sewer to New Plymouth will use two 150mm diameter high pressure pipes. Reticulation pipes within Oakura will vary in diameter from 150mm to 225mm. Individual household connections will typically be 100mm in diameter.

More information

For more information contact the council.
Email: enquiries@npdc.govt.nz
Phone: 06-759 6060