Working for a Pollution Free Harbour

The City Vision/Labour led council is working to overcome years of neglect of the environmental health of our streams, waterways and harbours. In the last year, $40 million has been spent on extending and maintaining the stormwater systems in Auckland City.

Concurrent with the completion of the re-sanding of Kohimarama and St Heliers Bay beaches, final restoration of the Waiatarua Reserve wetland along with remediation projects in Grafton Gully, Orakei Basin, Upland Road and The Parade occurred. This work has contributed to eleven fewer sewer overflows discharging to the sea and consequently, less pollution reaching the sensitive coastal marine environment. Removing these outlets brings the total number of overflows removed by Council over the past decade to more than two hundred

The Motions Creek project which extends from Western Springs Road through to Normanby Road, Mt Eden is nearing completion. In June of this year the "Clear Harbour Alliance" was launched. This initially encompasses separation in Kingsland through to Mt Eden and will reduce pollution outfalls in Westmere and St Marys Bay. Work has begun in the Cox's Bay area and this summer remediation and grading of the Creek to assist tidal flushing will occur.

The long term council plan provides a $1.4 billion budget for stormwater and sewage improvement and maintenance. However, in the first seven years, all options considered show identical levels of funding - constrained primarily by availability of manpower, materials and equipment resources. Clearly annual plan reviews and measurement of progress and resource availability may enable increases in funding and a consequent reduction in completion times.

Cr Neil Abel
Chair, Works and Services Committee, Auckland City Council

Posted Wed 26 Sep 2007