On-Site Effluent Treatment Plan

The On-site Effluent Treatment Regional Plan 2006 became operative on 7 August 2006. This plan supersedes all previous versions of the plan. The plan deals with on-site effluent treatment systems that discharge 2 cubic metres (m³) or less of effluent a day to land.

The plan focuses on areas where discharges from septic tanks are contributing to poor water quality including groundwater and the water margins of lakes, estuaries and shorelines within the region. Advanced on-site effluent treatment systems are required to be installed to improve water quality in specific areas identified by the plan.

To address water quality problems, the plan prescribes minimum standards for the design and installation of on-site effluent treatment systems. The on-site effluent treatment system needs to be designed and constructed to suit the constraints of the site. These constraints include depth to the water table, soil type, soil permeability, size of the land treatment area, slope and the expected volume of discharge.

The plan also requires a compulsory maintenance regime in identified communities serviced by septic tanks. Environment Bay of Plenty does not want to force upgrades for minor failures where reticulated sewage is likely in the foreseeable future. Therefore, Council has reviewed the situation for communities where sewage reticulation is anticipated in the near future and made adjustments as shown in the table below.

The maintenance programme also relates to properties with septic tanks that are within 200m of a lake edge within the Rotorua lakes catchments. These properties have until 1 December 2006 to have their first cleaning and inspection carried out. However implementation of the cleaning and inspection programme has been deferred for those properties identified in the Rotorua District Ten Year Plan (2006) as having funding set aside for reticulation in the first five years (by 2011).

Maintenance programme status for specified communities

Western Bay Communities	Maintenance programme status
Maketu	Potential sewage reticulation within three years (2009) – programme currently suspended and to be reviewed December 2006.
Little Waihi	Potential sewage reticulation within three years (2009) – programme currently suspended and to be reviewed December 2006.
Omokoroa	Sewage reticulation about to take place – programme suspended.
Ongare Point	Ongare Point First inspection due by 1 December 2006.
Te Puna	First inspection due by 1 June 2006.
Tanners Point	Varies according to date of first inspection and whether an outlet solids filter is fitted or not.

Rotorua Lakes communities	Maintenance programme status
Mourea	Sewage connection now available.
Okawa Bay	Sewage connection now available.
Hinehopu	Varies according to date of first inspection and whether an outlet solids filter is fitted or not.
Gisborne Point	Varies according to date of first inspection and whether an outlet solids filter is fitted or not.
Okere Falls	Implementation deferred - Rotorua District Ten Year Plan has set aside funding for reticulation to occur within the next five years (by 2011).
Otaramarae	Implementation deferred - Rotorua District Ten Year Plan has set aside funding for reticulation to occur within the next five years (by 2011).
Rotokawa	Implementation deferred - Rotorua District Ten Year Plan has set aside funding for reticulation to occur within the next five years (by 2011).
Brunswick	Implementation deferred - Rotorua District Ten Year Plan has set aside funding for reticulation to occur with the next five years (by 2011).
Okareka	Sewage reticulation about to take place – programme suspended.
Hamurana	Implementation deferred - Funding set aside for reticulation in next five years in Rotorua District Ten Year Plan.
Rotoma	First inspection due by 1 December 2006.
Tarawera	Varies according to date of first inspection and whether an outlet solids filter is fitted or not.

Environment Bay of Plenty have certified inspectors to inspect your system when pump out is required. The current certified inspectors are:

TransPacific Technical Services (Rotorua)
Rotorua Waste Disposal (Rotorua)
Tankman Trans-Pacific (Western Bay)
Pete’s Takeaways Ltd (Western Bay)

Click here for company details. (DOC, 41kb)

Upgrades to existing systems

The discharge from existing permitted onsite effluent treatment systems located within the maintenance and inspection programme zones (tabled above) will become discretionary as of 1 December 2010. Note that existing systems within communities of Tarawera, Hamurana and Rotoma will become discretionary as of 1 December 2014. To avoid this, the systems will need to be upgraded to meet the discharge limits of the plan. The discharge limits the coastal communities are biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) 30 grams per cubic metre (g/m³) and suspended solids (SS) 45 g/m³. The discharge limits for the Rotorua lakes catchments are BOD5 30 g/m³, SS 45 g/m³, and total nitrogen 15 g/m³.

For the Rotorua lakes catchments the discharge limits BOD5 30 g/m³, SS 45 g/m³, and total nitrogen 15 g/m³ also apply to systems within 200 metres of a lake edge, and properties 2 hectares or less within the lake catchments of Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoehu, Okareko, and Okaro.

Maps identifying the areas where systems need to be upgraded in order to be permitted can be found within the On-site Effluent Treatment Regional Plan 2006 in Schedule 5 and Schedule 6.

Outlet solids filter

All new conventional septic tanks must have an outlet solids filter fitted. Having a outlet solids filter fitted means that the frequency of inspection can be extended from three years out to every six years.

Contacts

For any technical inquiries relating to on-site effluent treatment systems, please contact Paul Futter or Sam Weiss , phone toll-free 0800 368 267, or email paul.futter@envbop.govt.nz or email sam.weiss@envbop.govt.nz. All queries relating to the plan should be directed to Janine Barber, phone toll-free 0800 ENV BOP (368 267), or email janine.barber@envbop.govt.nz.

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