Wastewater chapter of draft LWRP
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Existing plan
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| Reticulated wastewater (municipal and privately owned and operated networks) |
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Existing systems
Key changes:
- Discretionary consent needed for existing discharges to water and land
- After 2045 is will be prohibited to:
- discharge wastewater into water
- discharge untreated wastewater onto land where it may enter water (i.e., sewage overflows).
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Existing systems
- A discretionary consent needed, with policy direction preferring discharges to land over discharges to water
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New systems
Key changes:
- Discretionary consent needed to discharge treated wastewater to land
- Prohibited to discharge untreated wastewater to land where it may enter water (i.e., sewage overflows)
- Prohibited to discharge treated or untreated wastewater to water.
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New systems
- A discretionary consent needed, with policy direction preferring discharges to land over discharges to water
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Biosolids
- New rule framework
- Biosolids definition: “sludge derived from a wastewater treatment plant that has been treated and/or stabilised to the extent that it is able to be safely and beneficially applied to land.”
- No permitted activity rule
- Restricted discretionary consent needed for discharge to land, and discretion is restricted to:
- Treatment and quality
- Land uses of site and adjacent sites
- Soil type and capacity
- Rate and management of application
- Storage and handling
- Setbacks from water, bores, boundaries
- Information requirements.
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Biosolids
Not managed in the Water Plan
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| Industrial and trade waste |
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No consent needed to discharge to land, if the discharge meets all the following permitted activity conditions:
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- less than 5 cubic metres per day (volume)
- less than 5 millimetres per day (rate)
- not hazardous
- more than 50 metres from any water, bore or property boundary
- not resulting in ponding, flooding or sedimentation
- within an industrial zone.
If the activity does not meet all the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.
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The discharge of industrial and trade waste to water or land requires discretionary consent.
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| Onsite wastewater (septic tanks) |
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Key changes:
If there is an available reticulated wastewater system available, discharges from any (existing or new) onsite system are not permitted.
Existing systems
Existing systems are permitted if the discharge is:
- More than 50 metres from the coast, surface water or drain
- More than 100 metres from a bore
- Not in a drinking water protection zone
- Not within 0.6 metres of groundwater in most soils (soils classified as Category 2-6 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
- Not within 2 metres of groundwater in gravel soils (soils classified as Category 1 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
- Not on a slope greater than 30 percent grade for sub surface drip irrigation disposal systems
- Not on a slope greater than 10 percent grade for all other systems
- Not in a zone subject to flooding (subject to flooding at a frequency of: greater than 1 in 100 years for any primary treatment system; or greater than 1 in 20 years for all other treatment systems.)
- Not containing chemical toilet waste or hazardous substances.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
New systems
New systems are permitted if the discharge is:
- Less than 2000 litres per day
- On a site larger than 2 hectares
- More than 50 metres from the coast, surface water or drain
- More than 100 metres from a bore
- Not in a drinking water protection zone
- Not within 0.6 metres of groundwater in most soils (soils classified as Category 2-6 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
- Not within 2 metres of groundwater in gravel soils (soils classified as Category 1 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
- Not on a slope greater than 30 percent grade for sub surface drip irrigation disposal systems
- Not on a slope greater than 10 percent grade for all other systems
- Not in a zone subject to flooding (subject to flooding at a frequency of: greater than 1 in 100 years for any primary treatment system; or greater than 1 in 20 years for all other treatment systems.)
- Not containing chemical toilet waste or hazardous substances.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
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If the system was installed before 1998, no consent is needed if:
- Discharge does not directly enter water
- Discharge does not enter another property or cause flooding of another person’s property, erosion, land instability, sedimentation or property damage.
If the above conditions are not met, the system requires a discretionary consent.
If the system was installed after 1998, consent is required if:
- The discharge exceeds 2000 litres per day
- The discharge occurs in a groundwater protection zone
- The discharge occurs within 50 metres of a surface water body or bore
- There is a direct discharge to groundwater, drain or water race
- The discharge enters another property or causes flooding of another person’s property, erosion, land instability, sedimentation or property damage.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
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Pit toilets (long drops)
No consent needed for existing pit toilet if:
- setback 50 metres from coast, surface water, bores
- outside a drinking water protection zone
- at least 1 metre above groundwater
- operated and maintained to avoid the leakage of sewage above ground.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
No consent needed for new pit toilet if:
- located on a section over 20 hectares
- setback 50 metres from coast, surface water, bores
- outside a drinking water protection zone
- at least 2 metres above groundwater
- operated and maintained to avoid the leakage of sewage above ground.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
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Pit toilets (long drops)
Discharges from pit toilets constructed before 1998 are permitted.
Discharges from pit toilets constructed after 1998 are permitted if the discharge is:
- Further than 50 metres form surface water or a bore.
- Outside a groundwater protection zone
- Not directly entering groundwater.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
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Composting toilets
No consent needed to discharge to land if:
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- material is composted for 12 months prior to discharge
- the land is not used for food crops
- setback 50 metres from surface water, coast, bores
- material is discharged outside a drinking water protection zone.
If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.
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Not managed in Water Plan.
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Onsite greywater
No consent required to discharge to land if:
- the greywater system complies with the Building Act
- the discharge is via a sub-surface land application system and does not exceed 15 millimetres per day
- the greywater system filters the discharge and does not allow it to store for more than 12 hours
- the discharge does not contain sewage or a hazardous waste
- the discharge does not result in ponding or flooding
- the discharge is not within 50 metres of surface water or coast
- the discharge is not within a drinking water protection zone.
If the activity does not meet the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.
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Onsite greywater
- Managed as “sullage” under the Water Plan
- Permitted to discharge to water as long was quality and temperature are not affected
- If the activity does not meet the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.
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