By ANNE-MARIE EMERSON
COUNCIL contractors yesterday identified and fixed a blockage that caused raw sewage to spill into the Whanganui River for several days.
Members of the public told the Wanganui Chronicle the overflowing sewage and accompanying unpleasant smell had been noticeable for at least three days.
Works Infrastructure
staff began searching for the source of the blockage around noon yesterday, and finished unblocking the pipe around 4pm.
An overflow drain on the Durie Hill side of the river, several metres upstream of the city bridge, was activated when a 1m piece of wood became lodged in a bend of the sewerage pipe that leads from Durie Hill across the bridge and out to the pumping station at Beach Rd.
Wanganui District Council deputy infrastructure manager Rick Grobecker said it was unclear how the piece of wood became trapped in the pipe.
"We had a rainstorm before Christmas one possible explanation is that that rain washed debris into the pipes."
Mr Grobecker said while sewerage blockages happened quite frequently, it was unusual to have them overflow, particularly into the river.
"Usually we discover it before it gets that bad. Normally someone will ring us and say the drains at their house are blocked."
He said overflow outlets only come into use when "something goes wrong" usually during heavy rains, when normal systems are unable to cope with the high volume of water.
Mr Grobecker said the outlets were gradually being taken out of service as work on the stormwater separation system progressed. The system is due to be finished in 2010.
He said no complaints had been received by the council.
Mr Grobecker said the situation was not ideal, particularly as the overflow was a short way upstream from a popular swimming and fishing spot.
"It's not our modus operandi. But it's really no worse than the normal state of the river five years ago."
