Editorial: Expense for plant remains unknown

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

"WE HAVE painted ourselves into a corner," councillor Rangi Wills astutely said on Wednesday as Whanganui District Council put a big tick against a big ticket item - an almost $39 million new wastewater treatment plant.

The council was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea - or, more accurately, a defunct plant and an ocean pipeline.

There are probably less costly options for dealing with our waste, but the council had run out of time as it juggled a resource consent to dump into the sea which was unlikely to be extended without council giving the go-ahead to a new plant at this week's meeting.

Ratepayers now await the pain.

Despite much work on this project since the current plant was decommissioned in 2013, the individual cost ratepayers face remains worryingly unknown.

In Tuesday's Chronicle, councillor Rob Vinsen suggested increases of 13 per cent a year for the next three years.

Whanganui already has comparatively high rates, and a 13 per cent increase hardly seems acceptable.

Mayor Annette Main said on Wednesday that the new plant was "affordable".

In the lead-up to this decision, council got a university to test the affordability of the project - the basic upshot of its report was that for the poorer and struggling elements of our community, it would not be affordable.

Affordability is in the eye - or wallet - of the beholder, it seems.

By far the major contributors to the city's waste are the big industries down Heads Rd and while council has spent much time working on new charges for these businesses, how much they will pay is still unknown.

A couple of them are progressing with treating their own waste which is likely to mean they will want to pay less.

So a few unknowns, a few balls still in the air ... but one certainty at least.

Whanganui is getting an expensive new treatment plant.