The New Plymouth District Council and City Care have been fined over a major sewage spill.
Fines totalling $179,000 over the sewage spill in Bell Block show how important it is for basic community infrastructure to be fully fit for purpose, with operators able to respond efficiently and effectively to any malfunctions, the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) says.
The New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) and its contractor City Care were fined $66,500 and $112,500 respectively in the Environment Court in New Plymouth on Tuesday, February 23.
They had been prosecuted by the regional council over the discharge of an estimated 1500 cubic metres of effluent into the Mangati Stream, Bell Block, in a 10-hour period overnight on January 22-23, 2019.
The spill occurred after a fuse blew at an NPDC sewage pumping station alongside the stream, which was contaminated along the entire 950m reach to the ocean.