Oyster farmers seeking compensation for sewage release

1.00pm

Bay of Islands oyster farmers are increasing a multi-million dollar compensation claim against the Far North District Council after the council recently released 23,000 cubic metres of sewage into the bay.

The sewage spill into the Kawakawa River put oyster harvesting in Orongo Bay and the upper Waikare Inlet on hold and farmers now plan to increase an existing $10 million damages claim against the FNDC.

Federated Farmers has called for the resignation of Far North mayor Yvonne Sharpe and FNDC manager Clive Manley in the wake of the spill.

The farmers claim the main pump at the sewage plant was half the required size and the discharge was a result of "reckless management". They reject the council's claim that property owners directing their stormwater into the sewage scheme caused the problem.

Northland Federated farmers operations manager Bill Guest said the council had ruined a thriving multi-million dollar marine industry.

Mrs Sharp rejected calls for her resignation.

"The council has not acted outside the law or outside our resource consent," she said in relation to the discharge of the partially treated sewage.

"We have been very responsible. We have spent a couple of million dollars upgrading the Kawakawa system."

FNDC spokesman Rick McCall said the emergency discharges, of partially treated sewage from treatment ponds, had been approved to avoid uncontrolled spills of raw sewage, which had occurred during heavy rains.

The controlled discharges were carried out over four days last week.

About $2.5 million had been spent upgrading the treatment plant and a further $300,000 spent this year fixing infiltration problems. The treatment plant's capacity would also be increased in the coming year, Mr McCall said.

Orongo Bay oyster farmer and owner of Kororareka Oysters Ltd Alex Clifford said he was considering suing the FNDC for damages.

"We can run a business but we can't sell any product, there's work to do but we can't make any dollars. None of us know when we are going to be open, we haven't been told," Mr Clifford said.

The closure mainly affected farms in the upper reaches of the inlet, Waikare Inlet farmers spokesman Charlie Davenport said.

Farmers had been given no notice about the discharges which came at the peak of the harvest season, he said.

"If they had known it was coming they might have been able to get a bit more product away."

In their claim, the farmers blame what they say has been "consistent" pollution of their marine farms by the Kawakawa sewerage system.

The FNDC maintains it has no case to answer and does not accept liability for any pollution of the inlet.

Northland Health shellfish co-ordinator Neil Silver said the closure might last up to 56 days but a final decision was yet to be made.

Ironicall y Northland Health's Bay of Islands Hospital, at Kawakawa, has been identified as one of the 80 properties sending stormwater into the Kawakawa sewage scheme, and may have inadvertently contributed to the oyster farmers' plight.

Northland Health communications manager Alison Lees said Northland Health had been working with the FNDC to identify and fix the sources of the problem.

Also last week, 10 Waikare Inlet oyster farmers affected by a 2001 farm closure were issued with notices of default by the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish).

The affected farms were closed by health authorities in August 2001 after traces of a virus causing gastroenteritis and diarrhoea were found in oysters harvested from the inlet.

MFish acting senior fisheries management adviser Dan Lees said a number of farmers had allowed their farms to fall into a state of disrepair since they were closed in August 2001.

The notices gave the Government the right to reallocate those leases to people who wanted to farm, Mr Lees said.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)