Charteris Bay Water and Wastewater Scheme
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, deterioration of existing septic tanks, and other current methods of wastewater disposal.
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 system will collect domestic wastewater from the toilet, bath, shower, kitchen and laundry on each property and transport it to the wastewater treatment plant at Diamond Harbour. Small pump stations will be required at various sites to pump the wastewater to the treatment plant at Diamond Harbour.
The new system will remove the risk of untreated wastewater being discharged into the harbour, and there will no longer be a need for on-property septic tanks and disposal fields.
A new drinking water supply will be installed and made available to each house in the project area.
Property owners will be encouraged to maintain roof rainwater tanks for garden water, and to minimise stormwater runoff problems through council-provided design suggestions.
The Christchurch City Council will meet the cost of building the proposed systems, with costs recovered from the entire city rating base.
Property owners will need to pay to connect to the new systems. They will also pay standard sewerage rates whether or not they are connected. Standard water rates will apply for those connected to the water supply, and half water rates will apply if the water supply is provided to the property boundary but the property owner chooses not to connect.
Surveying of the area has commenced. When this is completed the preliminary services route (shown on the map) will be confirmed and feedback from the community will be sought. Detailed layouts plans will be posted on this website as they become available.
Should you have any inquiries regarding this project, please contact Mike Sheffield on (03) 941 6207 or 0800 800 169 (for Banks Peninsula residents), or email Michael.Sheffield@ccc.govt.nz.
Project objectives
- To provide the Charteris Bay area with a reticulated wastewater disposal system.
- To remove septic tanks and stop all discharges of untreated wastewater into the harbour.
- To provide drinking water to each house in the project area.
The project
The Christchurch City Council is in the process of designing new water and wastewater systems.
The Council’s philosophy is to work closely with affected residents to produce a system that serves the community, keeps the environment clean for all, and is relatively invisible to residents. Once construction begins, the Council undertakes to ensure disruption to residents’ day-to-day activities is as small as possible.
The capacity of the system is, as far as is practical, sized to only meet the needs of the currently zoned land. A separate project is under way that will address growth issues for the Banks Peninsula area. Further information on this project is available at www.ccc.govt.nz/AreaPlans/AkaroaHarbourBasin.
The design team commenced detailed pre-design work in July 2008.
Detailed survey work is also underway regarding routing of the pipes. Layout plans showing the routes of major pipelines will be posted on the Council’s website as they become available.
Work will be carried out to ensure the design will protect the environment and residents during times of adverse weather. A comprehensive risk management process is underway to ensure everything is done to minimise potential risks.
The Council remains on target to complete the new system in late 2010.
Project timelines
June 2008 |
Start survey |
July 2008 |
Start pre-design |
July 2009 |
Tender construction |
June 2010 |
Commissioning |
Frequently asked questions
Here is a list of questions residents and property owners may have about this project. Please contact the Council if you require further information.
What is the service area of the proposed sewerage system, and can the system be extended to include additional properties?
All areas zoned Residential and Small Settlement are included. Outlying houses may be able to be included on a case-by-case basis.
What is the proposed sewer network?
The sewer network will collect domestic wastewater from the toilet, bath, shower, kitchen and laundry from each property and transport to the wastewater treatment plant at Diamond Harbour.
What happens at the proposed wastewater treatment plant?
The wastewater will be treated and discharged to the harbour until a decision, based on ongoing reports, is made on the future of the plant.
What are the main environmental effects from the proposed wastewater treatment system?
The main effects will be improvement to the environment and public health. Treated wastewater will no longer be discharged in the surrounding areas, and there will no longer be a need for on-property septic tanks and disposal fields.
Will there be any offensive odour and/or excessive noise from the pumping stations?
Odour and noise are restricted to prescribed levels by the District Plan. If needed, methods exist to achieve compliance, such as odour scrubbing and sound proofing. The reduction of odour will be a priority in the design.
What opportunities do the public and private landowners have to make comments on the schemes?
The Council provides information on this website and on a noticeboard at Traffic Cop Bay, Charteris Bay, along with contact details for a Council staff member if anyone has further questions. This staff member will attend resident group and community board meetings to keep the community informed of progress. The website will be updated regularly.
Who is paying for the schemes?
The Council will meet the cost of building the proposed systems, with costs recovered from the entire city rating base. Property owners will need to pay to connect to the new systems. They will also pay standard sewerage rates whether or not they are connected. Standard water rates will apply for those connected to the water supply, and half water rates will apply if the water supply is provided to the property boundary but the property owner chooses not to connect. The Council will encourage property owners to connect to the schemes at the time of construction. Connection to the wastewater scheme will be required within two years of its commission. Properties outside of the scheme areas will not pay associated rates.
What are the property owner’s obligations once the system is up and running?
Property owners will be responsible for any connection work on their own property. This will involve disconnecting and making safe the septic tank system, and laying a pipe from the house to the connection point at the property boundary. A building consent will be required for this work. Council requires all property owners to connect to the wastewater system within two years of it being commissioned.
Can the Council help?
The Council will help property owners connect to the new systems by recommending names of drainlayers to undertake the work, and by coordinating the building consents. The potential number of properties involved should help reduce the cost of the work to property owners and speed up the process.
Will I incur any other costs?
If the property is within the limits of the scheme, standard wastewater treatment rates will be charged whether or not the property owner has connected to the scheme. Half water supply rates will be charged once the scheme is available at the property boundary, with full water supply rates applying once the property owner has connected to the scheme. Property owners will be encouraged to connect at the time the schemes are constructed, while connection to the wastewater scheme will be required within two years.
Will I retain my rainwater collection system?
The Council recommends rainwater collection systems be retained for irrigation, and suggestions for modifications will be made with each property owner.
What if my septic tank is new and is operating correctly?
Property owners can continue using the existing system until a Council engineer decides it is no longer efficient. Property owners will then be asked to connect to the new system. The two-year deadline for connection to the new wastewater system will not apply in this situation.
Contact us
- Email: michael.sheffield@ccc.govt.nz
- Phone: 03 941 6207 or 0800 800 169 (Banks Peninsula residents)
- Post: PO Box 237, Christchurch Mail Centre, Christchurch 8140 (attention Mike Sheffield)
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