Titahi Bay.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Wellington Water, on behalf of the Porirua City Council, put in its application for the resource consent in May, after their last one expired.
The application asks for consent to discharge fully treated and disinfected wastewater into the sea, as well as for the intermittent discharge of partially treated wastewater . [which] occur when heavy rain significantly increases the volume of wastewater in the system, beyond the capacity of the treatment plant.
If consent was granted, it would be applicable for 20 years.
But the entire application has been described as a licence to pollute by one group in Titahi Bay, where the treatment plant is located.
Wellington scoop co nz » Angry and emotional: Titahi Bay residents concerned about sewage overflows scoop.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scoop.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Tītahi Bay Residents Association spokeswoman Michelle Laurenson has likened the region’s pipe situation to the leaky homes crisis and said there should be a similar financial assistance package to deal with this saga.
Tītahi Bay households could be the first in the region stung with bills potentially reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars as Wellington Water investigates the pipe network, Porirua’s mayor says. Anita Baker said the suburb’s homeowners will be expected to foot the cost of repairs if broken pipes or cross connections were identified on their properties, in the first of a series of checks on infrastructure linking private homes into Wellington Water’s network.