30/07/2025
Yesterday was the first test of Watercare's temporary fix over the historical bridge which is supposed to halve the volumes of overflows. The first overflown at Elizabeth Street EOP happened at 4.40am after only 10.5mm of rain. One of the pumps had an electrical issue but that was fixed late morning. However the overflow pipe cranked all day resulting in an "official" overflow estimation of 550,000 litres. This does not include Lake Pooweewee at Kowhai Park or the overflow that happened at the Palmer Street pump station which went from 12.50pm until 1.50am this morning. We don't get told those amounts. Not to mention Cornell Circle residents having sewage run through their backyard heading straight into the Mahurangi Harbour. I don't believe we actually get told the true overflow amounts. Yes it was the largest rainfall event all year, over 100mm but the fact that the overflows happened after only 10.5mm and the stormwater infiltration still hasn't been addressed gives me no hope of us being able to survive and the environment also.
There seems to be a massive problem between Auckland Council and their so called Healthy Waters brigade maintaining the stormwater system and Watercare who has to deal with the consequences of the stormwater infiltrating the poo pipes, the left hand ain't talking to the right! It's a completely region wide problem, unfortunately Warkworth has been grown so appallingly that it has a high concentration of it and pesky oyster farmers who are annoyingly downriver, growing food...bet Auckland Council wished we weren't there now. Though the harbours environment would not, there are no horse mussels, pipis, cockles left these days to clean this pollution. These oysters are the workhorses working overtime to filter the s**t away.
How does wastewater impact the environment? Reduces oxygen levels, choking the marine environment and organisms living in it. It introduces huge amounts of pathogens, bacteria such as e.coli, salmonella, campylobacter, streptococcus, cholera. Viruses such as norovirus (highly contagious, dangerous and what we base our test upon) rotavirus, hepatitis, enteroviruses not to mention giardia, cryptosporidium. There's also chemicals like all the cleaning products, bleach plus rubbish. I saw so many tampons, heads of shavers and wet wipes yesterday. We find norovirus 7 kms plus down in our harbour, dilution is not a factor when it comes to raw sewage. Raw dog is raw dog and eventually it tips into a point that's hard to rectify.
I spent the day in Warkworth and all I could smell was sewage. At times I felt so sad I wished I could be swept away with it all and deposited out to sea. Stupid council signs nobody sees saying it's unsafe to fish or swim or frolick in the water for up to 48 hours which isn't true, it takes weeks to breakdown, not a couple of days. Couldn't help think of the song by Guns N Roses...whose lyrics I've changed
Look at the sewage flying
Look at your river crying
Look at the environment dying
The way its never died before...
Look at the poo you're spilling
Look at the public's health you're misleading
Look at the oyster farmers you're killing
AND I DON'T WANT TO PAY AUCKLAND COUNCIL NO MORE!!!
I simply can't understand how this was ever okay to let happen.
