A South Wairarapa District Council committee received a "damning" report into July's damage to Lake Ferry's wastewater system, with a six-figure repair bill likely.
Photo: Supplied
The report, composed by Wellington Water, found that tree fellers operating around the coastal village's plant crushed pipes and equipment.
Village residents had to restrict their wastewater use for two days, but the report said no untreated sewage had leaked into nearby Wairarapa Moana, which had only recently been earmarked for protected Ramsar status [named after the Ramsar treaty on wetlands in 1971].
It provided six recommendations, including improving processes and procedures, and cited the main contributing factors as the forestry contractor not being made aware of the importance and location of the plant, and WW's agreement to a temporary water diversion as the work went on.
The site's UV treatment equipment also failed, and there was no clear escalation processes.
Brian Jephson, chair of SWDC's assets and services panel, described the report as "pretty damning" as he received it at the committee's meeting at Martinborough last week.
Photo: WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE / MARCUS ANSELM
Wellington Water chief executive Colin Crampton said repairs to the system would cost in the ballpark of $170,000.
The council paper said the total cost of the repair was $327,000.
However, Crampton said WW still needed to "get the true cost of the renewal of the field", with a longer term solution possible.
"But what we're talking about is taking those busted pipes, joining them back together, and the metres that were run over by trucks, and getting them operable again. Our advice is that would be a waste of money.
"What you're doing is renewing something that is replacing something that has reached the end of its useful life."
A WW crew made repairs, with an overland workaround. The temporary solution is not breaching the plant's resource consent, Crampton said.
The report said there was no discharge to waterways and stayed on land.
When asked by councillor Ross Vickery if liability had been investigated, Crampton said it was a "tricky situation".
"We need to have a grown-up chat about that. It would be remiss of us not to do it."
SWDC chief Harry Wilson said the full consent needed to be investigated before the work could start.
Crampton said more information should be provided at the next committee meeting in December, including further details of the cost.
The committee is scheduled to meet at the council chambers, in Martinborough on December 16.
Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers' Association and NZ On Air.
