Tuesday, October 17, 2017
THE signs visitors to Te Ahiaua Reserve are being greeted with as council works on solutions to try and resolve the problems caused by high concentration levels of manganese in the current water supply. Photo Jan Shaw
ROSS McCULLOUGH
EXCESS manganese in water near Opotiki may force Opotiki District Council to drill a new bore for new sources in a new aquifer.
The problem has become major at Te Ahiaua Reserve where the public toilets have had to be closed down temporarily and replaced with port-a-loos.
Council engineering and services group manager Chris Hopman said the toilet closure would enable the build-up of manganese to be removed from pipes and valves. The council had previously had issues with the water supply running dry and the reserve toilets were unable to be flushed, causing short, temporary closures, Mr
Hopman said.
Manganese is a naturally occurring trace element found in varying concentrations in groundwater.
Mr Hopman said water used in the toilet facilities at the pipi beds was from a bore on a neighbouring farm which has “very high levels of manganese”.
When water reaches the surface, the oxidized manganese in the pipes can lead to various problem, such as taps often not turning off fully.
It is understood the problems are not just isolated to the council’s public toilets, with householders in the area also experiencing high levels of manganese concentration in their water.
Mr Hopman said the council was looking to either treat the water to remove much of the manganese, or drill a new bore from a different aquifer.
He said depending on which of the solutions would work best, the number of port-a-loos at the reserve may need to be increased as the summer season arrives.
The council is also looking at wastewater treatment on site, to ensure it is keeping up with current usage.
The toilet site was originally built in the 1990s and Mr Hopman expects it may need to be upgraded as camper and day visitor numbers increase.
The reserve at the pipi beds is one of the most popular spots in the district for visitors and locals, and Mr Hopman said there were some significant issues for the council to work through.
“Clearly this is not an ideal situation and we are working to get the toilets operational again as soon as possible, particularly as the weather warms up and we get more visitors out at the reserve,” he said.
While the council had planned for some of this work in its annual and long-term planning, it also made an application for shared assistance with the toilets and car parking at the reserve to the Tourism Infrastructure Fund, a central government fund specially set up to assist councils deal with some of the flow on effects of the Freedom Camping Act, Mr Hopman said.
The newly-established Waiotahe Community Care Group has been set up to work through the contamination issues in the area.