Wastewater from broken pipeline washing up on Napier beach

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Damage to a pipeline near Napier has caused wastewater to wash up on beaches and prompted an investigation by health authorities. A resident of Whirinaki, just north of Napier, Glen Kohlis, noticed a discoloration in the sea on Saturday. He reported this to Hawke's Bay Regional Council and contacted the Pan Pac timber mill, which he believed likely to be responsible as he knew it's wastewater pipeline was in the vicinity.

It was initially thought to be an algal bloom but on Sunday it was confirmed to be wastewater from the mill's wastewater treatment plant. On Monday the mill's managing director Doug Ducker sent a letter to residents living nearby advising them that a section of pipeline "has sustained some form of damage or deterioration with small amounts of wastewater escaping". Divers were investigating the extent of the pipeline damage and "we recommend avoiding the area as divers continue to assess the situation using various equipment," he said.

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Image: Stuff