Lagoon cleaning subsidy scheme fails to attract response

March 31, 2016

Lagoon cleaning subsidy scheme fails to attract response

Lagoons situated on the West Coast of Auckland. Photo: James Pasley

Auckland Council’s plan to clean up West Coast lagoons polluted by septic tank runoff is losing steam.

Run off from septic systems on private properties has resulted in faecal contamination of public lagoons and sparked  numerous complaints to Auckland Council about poor water quality.

Since August 2015 residents from Karekare, Piha, North Piha, and Bethells have been offered 20 subsidies from council worth a total of $50,000.

The subsidies were to fix private sanitary systems, but only two subsidies have been used.

Waitakere Ranges Local Board chair, Sandra Coney, explained that lagoons are now unfit for swimming for a large portion of the year.

Ms Coney said despite the subsidies on offer, it’s still expensive to replace an entire system.

“A septic system would probably cost between $20,000 and $30,000.”

On March 10 the Waitakere Ranges Local Board approved increasing the subsidy from $2500 to $5000. Before the approval, the subsidy was meant to run until July 30 but with the increase the subsidies are only available until the end of April.

The increase will halve the number of available subsidies being available to residents.

EcoMatters, an independent environmental trust has been helping Auckland Council publicise the scheme.

However, project manager Daniel Ducker said only a handful of residents have inquired about the subsidy.

The subsidy scheme will also fund three septic tank management workshops for up to $7500. EcoMatters will be coordinating these workshops, but Mr Ducker said they might not be enough.

“It’s a long road. We need to do as much as we can to help the communities resolve it. It’s not going to be resolved overnight.”

The Waitakere Ranges Local Board is also considering a loan scheme, which has yet to be approved.

The scheme would mean residents could apply for a loan to cover the costs of a new system and it would be paid off in their rates over a period of 15 years.

Unlike the council’s focus on subsidies, Ducker sees the issue as one of framing.

“Last year we found that most people did have a great love of the lagoons but it didn’t always correspond with a love affair with waste systems.”

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