Introduction
The Christchurch City Council is proposing a new water and wastewater system that will extend the Diamond Harbour/Church Bay system through to Charteris Bay. The project is required due to the area’s growing population and deterioration of existing wastewater disposal systems.
The scheme will extend from Marine Drive and Bayview Road in Church Bay, to just south of the junction between Marine Drive and Andersons Road in Charteris Bay.
The work is expected to take four years from July 2010 to June 2014. Work will begin by looking at the wastewater scheme options, adoption of the preferred option, design for approval, detailed design and then construction. Notwithstanding delays caused by the recent earthquakes, Council remains on target to complete the new systems by 2014.
There are two key areas of work that will take place – the wastewater system upgrade, and the potable (drinking) water supply upgrade.
Wastewater
Council will begin by considering the wastewater system options and adopting the most appropriate solution. Then sufficient design work will be completed to secure all appropriate approvals, followed by completion of detailed design to enable construction to start.
The options include:
- Conventional gravity/pump station/rising main and conveyance to the Diamond Harbour wastewater treatment plant
- Septic tank effluent pumped (STEP) or septic tank effluent gravity (STEG) systems
- Small onsite grinder pump stations and conveyance to the Diamond Harbour wastewater treatment plant
- Combinations of the above
Connecting to the new system and paying for wastewater collection
With these systems the Council will meet costs to install the chosen system. Property owners will pay normal rates for the wastewater collection even if not connected to it initially.
All property owners will be expected to make a connection to the system during its construction. The exception to this is property owners who have recently consented and installed modern systems such as 'Oasis' systems. These property owners will have up to ten years to connect to the new Council system, provided that no problems arise with the system that cause issues with neighbours, or breach consent conditions, or until a Council engineer decides it is no longer efficient to remain unconnected.
If a conventional gravity system is selected property owners will pay for any work required on their properties to connect to the new Council system at the property boundary and for the decommissioning/removal of the septic tank.
If an alternative option is selected, the Council will install and maintain all new equipment, up to and including the new septic tank or grinder pump station. Property owners will pay for the connection from the house to the grinder pump or new septic tank and for the decommissioning/removal of the existing septic tank.
If the grinder pump option is selected, property owners will pay for the electrical supply to the pumps and pay for the power for running the pumps.
Water supply
The new water supply system will be installed by Council to the property boundary at the same time as the wastewater system. Council will provide options to assist property owners to connect their own system to both the reticulated and existing rainwater collections systems. Eligible property owners will pay for connecting to the Council supply at the property boundary and any modifications to their own system.
Property owners in the Residential and Small Settlement zones connected to the new on-demand Council system will pay the full water rate. Those who choose not to connect to the new on-demand Council system will pay half the normal water supply rate charged to those who do connect. Property owners in the Rural zone who choose to connect to the new restricted Council system will pay a targeted rate.
More information on the Charteris Bay area.
Contact us
Phone: (03) 941 8999 or 0800 800 169 (Banks Peninsula residents)
Email: info@ccc.govt.nz
