Tidal Problems - Northern Advocate - 29th December 2011.

Christmas shoppers get bad tidings?

The closing of Whangarei CBD streets on Thursday has to have a huge financial burden on city businesses and an inconvenience and impact on the district shoppers. It is even more perturbing to read and hear through the media that the high tide had such an impact on the situation. Remember the high tide occurs twice a day, 365 days of the year.

One has to ask; how a high tide can have such an effect on the town’s sewer system. If the tide enters the sewer system, are the sewer contents leaking out of the system at lower tides?

The damage that the seawater environment has with corrosion is well known by people living near the sea or had ownership of waterborne vessels; could this inflow be affecting the sewerage system also? Over recent weeks numerous requests for a government enquiry into the Whangarei District Council, its water schemes as one of the issues, have been in the media; I also have to agree to this request. Having been one to have campaigned to have our harbour saved from council constantly polluting it with sewage spills, we need to have intervention from central government, to halt spending on projects that don’t comply fully with the Local Government Act; to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities.

Having to close the CBD as the tide rises infiltrating the sewerage system, may certainly fall outside these well-beings; thus needing to be addressed immediately.

Get back to basic infrastructure, beautify the town with a clean, healthy sewage free harbour and the future of Whangarei and its image, will reap far more; then perhaps we may have the funding available to develop with structures and facilities council presently have on the drawing board.

It’s time to spend money wisely; remember looks are only skin deep.

Warren Slater

Maunu