Stonefields was to be served by a third plumbing network.
New Zealand’s first environmentally sustainable public “third pipe” scheme, planned to serve thousands of homes with recycled storm water, has been plugged.
Rain falling on Stonefields – a redevelopment of a former East Auckland quarry – was to be fed to a storm water retention pond and treated to feed a plumbing network to toilets and garden taps.
However, despite the network being built at a cost of more than $7.5 million, municipal water supplier Watercare has rejected it on grounds of potential water quality and price issues.
Residents are disappointed..
“The chance of us all realising cost savings from using non-potable water supply and reducing our monthly water bills, including waste water charges, will be removed from us without consultation,” said the Stonefields Residents Association.
A Watercare spokesman said the decision was intended “to protect public health – treated storm water would not meet New Zealand’s drinking water standards and Watercare’s A Grade for water supply could be jeopardised by operation of the third pipe system.”
Watercare also said the cost of running the system would result in Stonefields residents paying five times more than the $1.34 per 1000 litres that Watercare would charge.
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So Watercare are rejecting this “third-pipe” which is “treated” because of water-quality and price issues. Yet the water (which a savvy person could also connect a rain tank to as well) was to be used for toilets and garden taps rather than the taps we get our drinking water from. So you will have to forgive me Watercare but I never knew we needed A-grade water for the garden tap and toilet as I never knew I was going to be drinking out of them…
It’s not recycled black-water (water that has come from a sewerage plant) and the storm water is “treated” so what is the issue here?
The issue is most likely Watercare would be upset because they might get a drop in revenue especially around the 80% waste-water charge will honestly stinks. I know from the 100% fresh water I draw from the Watercare mains does not end back down the sewer pipes at the 80% level – especially in the Summer – yet I get hit for it.
I know here where I live in Papakura there is some storm-water ponds that also act as a “lake” for the local park that could be potentially used in a scheme that Stonefields would have got until now.
At the same time I thought Auckland was meant to be an Eco-City and recycling treated storm water for non drinking purposes would have been a good step in reaching those “eco” goals.
Roll eyes material this is – really.
Looking over storm water pond to North Western flank of the park. New Social Housing development to occur behind that flank
Rising to Brent Toderian’s Challenge One the 28th of March I saw this Tweet and subsequent challenge from Brent Toderian who is currently in New Zealand: I'm encouraging #Auckland to … Continue reading A Green and Walkable Manukau – Intro
“Official Electrification Launch” Updated with Auckland Transport video of the features of an EMU And so yesterday the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport officially launched “electrification” … Continue reading A Non Event Yesterday
Of note is that the entire Committee will be behind closed doors as the sole item is on the long-awaited Third Tranche for the Special Housing Area. While the discussion is behind closed doors for the Committee a public announcement is due either next month or in June. From what I have gathered so far this third tranche is larger than the first two and a particular focus could be around Brownfield development (so existing urban areas). We await the public announcement when it comes out (ironically at the same time as Auckland Transport releases the Rail Strategy as well).
I see two things of note in this Committee; the first being an update on Wynyard Quarter, and the second being (behind closed doors) on the St James Theatre.
What did catch my attention though and no doubt will catch the attention of a few is St James Theatre is being debated again. Exactly what I do not know as it is in the Closed Agenda of the Committee but no doubt the media will start running its commentary on it from tomorrow if not Thursday.
Today at 2pm the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport will be at Britomart to officially launch “electrification” in Auckland. Our first EMU services on the Onehunga Line do not start however, until April 28th with the Manukau Line being in August, and the Southern and Western Lines after that. I have heard rumour some other announcement was planned to be tagged on today as well but we will have to wait and see. I highly doubt it will be a CRL package for 2017 – but hey we can keep pushing.
One thing that use to irk me about the bi-annual inorganic collections: the area looking worse than a standard tip.
Well Auckland Council will be adopting what Waitakere City Council did pre-Super City in that inorganic’s on the berm-side will be dumped as of next year and replaced with a pay-and-pick-up scheme.
Sorting through other people’s trash for possible treasures will soon be history.
Inorganic collections – long adored by bargain hunters and despised by berm lovers – are being chucked out. The Auckland Council is introducing major changes, which include ending the roadside collections and setting up 30 community recycling hubs around the city.
From July 1 next year Aucklanders will call the council to arrange pick-ups from their yards.
The council’s solid waste manager, Ian Stupple, said a trial of the system in Howick and Pakuranga late last year found half the waste bound for landfill could be re-used or recycled.
“At the moment it’s a mess. The waste is scattered all over the berms and it’s potentially dangerous for the operators.
“This way it will be a lot safer and the material will be in a much better condition and easier to collect.”
The centres would be set over the next 20 years.
Stupple said people would be able to drop off their unwanted items and scratch around the sales yard for treasures.
There may even be coffee shops at some of the centres.
“So it’s almost a community facility like a leisure centre or a library where people would hopefully be attracted to go to on a regular basis.”
The facilities, run by private operators or community groups, would create job and training opportunities, Stupple said.
…
Switch saves expensive clean-ups
Western wards in Auckland ditched kerbside inorganic collections in 2009 and introduced $25 home pick-ups.
Speaking while doing collections in Te Atatu, contractor Lance Goodwin said both systems had benefits but collecting from within properties was better.
…
I gather there would be a token fee to drop your stuff off at the Community Recycling Hubs. That said providing the fee was not prohibitive I would be using the hubs in place of the bi-annual dump on the kerb while having a nosy around from those second-hand goods or picking up some compost (if green waste is processed and sold at the hub).
Would this new scheme cause a spike in illegal dumping? Possible so enforcement will need to be strengthened to deter this much as possible.
I have noted a Herald article about Auckland metro rail passenger numbers at record levels while ferry numbers are dipping (it will be the fares) this morning. Check “Rail clips the ticket as ferry trips fall away” for more on that story.
Tauranga to Auckland by Rail?
Before the last Labour Government (1999-2008) ditched the service the Silver Fern rail car use to run a daily service between Tauranga and Auckland that would take around 3.5 hours each way. As a kid I use to catch it when holidaying with my grandparents who reside in Tauranga and the trip wasn’t that bad – even though it took an hour longer than going by car.
There have been numerous attempts since the service was scrapped to reinstate the service but the infrastructure investment alone would be costly to allow dual freight/passenger running again. None-the-less a new attempt via a study is being pushed to reinstate the inter-city rail service.
Posted at 7:01am Sunday 30 Mar, 2014 | By Luke Balvert luke@thesun.co.nz
The re-instatement of a passenger train between Tauranga and Auckland continues to gain strong interest from a group of city firms currently shelling out more than $100,000 a week on commuting costs.
A Priority One study investigated 37 targeted corporates and other businesses in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty to find what their inter-city travel requirements, practices and costs are and whether they would be interested in the concept of commuting by rail.
Corporates and businesses commuting the most include Zespri International, BECA, Comvita, Sharp Tudhope and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.
Travelling by road means several hours of unproductive time, while flying can be costly and still requires a trip into the city from the airport – both expensive and time consuming.
Together the 37 firms currently spend $104,558 in travel costs and staff time on weekly commutes, including $71,550 in unproductive staff time, $23,408 in driving mileage and $9600 in air travel, including taxi fares.
Priority One project manager Annie Hill says in the last few years interest has been generated in reinstating the passenger train service, with firms supportive to align with business needs in Auckland.
Of those that travel at least once a week to Auckland, 88 per cent say they would consider using the service. But they note the service would need to be faster than driving, have wi-fi capabilities, not be too expensive, and have reasonable departure times to suit business needs.
…..
So we have a problem and that is the inter-city commute between Auckland and Tauranga. Passenger rail between Auckland and Tauranga could work but as it was noted in red: “the service would need to be faster than driving, have wi-fi capabilities, not be too expensive, and have reasonable departure times to suit business needs.“
So the infrastructure (tracks, signals, points and eventually rolling stock) will need to be brought up to scratch before even attempting to run passenger rail between the two cities again.
Annie says despite the survey, giving New Zealand Transport Agency via SmartGrowth an economic viewpoint on the cost, the chances of a commuter service are very slim in the next 20-30 years as the rail lines do not have the capacity.
With freight rail the current priority, the rail service would need a significant upgrade to accommodate a fast passenger service, says Annie.
Yep that is the case with the current set up of the lines at the moment. To get a viable passenger service between Auckland and Tauranga you would need to do the following upgrades first:
The third main between Westfield and Pukekohe
Double tracking between Pukekohe and Hamilton
More passing loops between Hamilton and Tauranga with possible full double tracking in 30-years
Reinstatement of Tauranga Station which would need to be on its own loop away from main line to allow freight trains to continue to move unimpeded
Rolling stock to support three services a day in each direction between Tauranga and Papakura (you would transfer to an EMU to continue the trip north)
All this would take time and considerable investment. But with increasing freight trains to Hamilton and Tauranga from Auckland you could tie the investment in double/triple tracking plus more passing loops with freight as well as wanting passenger services as well. This would make investment in the rail system more viable. And with plans afoot around growth (residential and industrial) in the Golden Triangle (Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga) that is to occur over the next 40-50 years, passenger rail between Auckland (Papakura) and Tauranga is certainly not dead.
24 months late but finally here It has taken around two years to recover from the previous peak of 10.8 million rail (we suffered a sustained dip after that peak) … Continue reading 11 Million Rail Passenger Trips
