Tauranga council says pipe blockage caused wastewater overflow that flooded clubrooms

The clubroom at Pemberton Park was affected by a wastewater overflow. Photo / Harriet Laughton

A wastewater overflow caused by a pipe blockage has flooded a Tauranga sports club building.

Wastewater flooded the ground floor of the main garage of the Greerton Cricket/Blue Rovers Football clubrooms at Pemberton Park, affecting sports equipment.

Football club director Chris Ascott told the Bay of Plenty Times on Monday once the equipment was disinfected, they would know if any of it needed to be replaced.

Tauranga City Council drainage services manager Radleigh Cairns said the cause of the overflow was a build-up of fats, oils and grease that blocked a wastewater pipeline. It has now been cleared.

“Fortunately, the overflow did not make it to the stormwater drain. The area inside the building is being cleaned by commercial cleaners to ensure the safety of users and the outside area has been disinfected by council’s contractors.”

Toi Te Ora Public Health had been notified, Cairns said.

He urged households to consider how they disposed of fat and grease to help reduce overflows.

“Most wastewater blockages occur when things are flushed down toilets and sinks that shouldn’t be, like fats and cooking oils or wet wipes.

“Washing leftover fats, oils and grease down your sink can block pipes as it cools and turns hard. Running hot water afterwards just moves the problem further down our wastewater network.”

Cairns said leftover fat, oil and grease should be cooled and binned.

It could be poured into a non-recyclable container or newspaper and put in the rubbish, or cooled fat could be scraped from pots and pans straight into the bin.

Consider adding a strainer to a sink plug to catch food scraps and other solids that could join with fats to create a blockage, he said.