Improving water quality is a big priority for Auckland Council and one of the first major projects that will deliver significant results is the combined sewer and stormwater network at St Marys Bay and Masefield Beach.
The major infrastructure project will dramatically reduce the amount of contaminated water flowing into the harbour.
Craig Mcilroy, General Manager Healthy Waters, says that as a result of this project there will be at least a 95 per cent reduction in local wastewater overflow volume, significantly improving both beach and water quality in the local area.
“This complex project will deliver improvements to water quality and work in conjunction with other significant waste and stormwater improvements planned for Auckland over the coming decade,” he says.
The project will reconfigure the existing combined sewer and stormwater network at St Marys Bay and Masefield Beach.
Some people have raised concerns that the council is physically pumping sewage into the harbour; however, Mcilroy insists that isn’t the case.
“Following rain events, the stormwater overflow system can become contaminated with sewage, which in turn runs into the ocean," he says.
“This project will move the stormwater outlet from its current location directly on the beach to the edge of a channel under the harbour bridge, where the strong current will disperse the stormwater and highly diluted wastewater overflows much more efficiently.”
Mcilroy says this project is designed to integrate with long-term network improvement plans being developed by Healthy Waters and Watercare, which will further reduce combined sewer overflows and improve water quality.
"Regardless of whether the long-term solution is full separation, zero separation or partial separation, this project is required to achieve water quality outcomes at St Mary’s and Masefield Beaches," he says.
More information on the St Mary’s Bay - Masefield beach water quality improvement project can be found here. Auckland Council has recently adopted a targeted rate to improve stormwater infrastructure and clean up the Waitematā Harbour.
