Reticulation

This page needs additional facts, dates, links and other augmentation.

There has been pressure over the years for Waiheke (or parts of it) to be reticulated. Reticulation means installing a sewer to take wastewater, rather than for wastewater to be treated on-site by an individual system. See below for links to different on-site wastewater system types. It can refer to water delivery systems too, but the author isn't aware of any such proposals.

Pressure to reticulate

The Minister of Health (name needed) on (date needed) told the Auckland City Council that unless they moved to reticulate Waiheke, the Minister would use their powers under the (date needed) Health Act to force the matter. (is there a public record of this?) In response ACC installed a partial reticulation system at Owhanake, which takes liquid waste only from businesses in Oneroa.

Mike McQuillan (Auckland City Council Utility and Environmental Manager) is thought to be in favour of reticulation. (is there a statement on record to cite?)

Metrowater have made submissions to the Proposed District Plan that would allow them to reticulate Waiheke at any time, including the installation of pipelines and other infrastucture and which would allow them to treat solid waste as well as liquid wastewater. (copies of actual submissions?)

Community Opposition

It is widely accepted that the majority of the Waiheke Community strongly opposes reticulation (certainly this has been the view put forward by successive community boards and local councillors) because 1) it would lead to a less sustainable system using large amounts of power to pump the water, e.g. requiring six pumping stations, and resulting in the loss of valuable nutrients, probably causing pollution elsewhere 2) currently it is OK to swim at Waiheke after it rains whereas sewer overflows in Auckland mean that the water is contaminated at beaches after rainfall (give figures for overflow volumes), 3) the requirement for minimum section sizes and maximum dwelling sizes is largely based on the restrictions imposed by on-site wastewater disposal, so could lead to massive intensification of development, 4) because the cost would be passed on to homeowners (at least $30,000 per household), and 5) because unrestricted wastewater disposal could lead to profligate water use and consequent supply problems or unsustainably high use (Waiheke water is collected from the roof into an on-site tank, but can be topped up by tanker delivery).

Note regarding reticulation: in some cases, a group of dwellings may be clustered around a wastewater system which takes their combined effluent, but with the wastewater still disposed on site, so this is not a reticulated system. (This is uncommon on Waiheke, but is permissible under the current rules).

On-site wastewater system types

Refer to the wastewater page.