Nā wai te hinonga i whakarite? Who has been part of the project development?
In 2015 the Lake Tarawera Sewerage Steering Committee (LTSSC) was established to consider the options for reticulation.
The committee included representatives from Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi, Māori landowners, the Lake Tarawera Ratepayers Association, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council. The independent chair was Glenn Snelgrove.
The committee’s establishment followed strong interest by the community in having a reticulated sewerage scheme for Tarawera and was tasked with reviewing various options and determining a preferred option that would best serve the community and could be implemented in an affordable way.
Five possible viable wastewater options were considered and in October 2018, the Steering Committee unanimously identified the preferred option as reticulation to the Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plan via the public road network to the Ōkāreka pumping station.
The Steering Committee also unanimously supported on-site low-pressure grinder pumps (LPGPs) for each property as part of the Preferred Option.
This option was favoured because it has the lowest overall long term cost for home owners as well as for the Council’s long term network operations, would help to measurably improve water quality at Tarawera, avoids wāhi tupuna (ancestral sites), and could be implemented quickly (resource consent is not required).
Rotorua Lakes Council subsequently committed to progressing a Tarawera wastewater reticulation scheme as part of its 2021-31 Long-term Plan with an expected to cost of $22.5m.
