Fat and wet-wipe blockage causes sewage discharge into Waitara River

Local News Public Notice
PUBLISHED: 30 JAN 2023

An overflow of sewage into the Waitara River late Saturday was caused by a blockage of fat and wet-wipes. The overflow stopped at 9pm and the site has been cleaned and sanitised by NPDC.

We’re sorry this has occurred, and we’ve been in touch with iwi and hapū, Taranaki Regional Council, the local health authority and other recreational users.

Warnings to not swim or collect kai have been erected at affected water bodies. The location of signage and other current water quality warnings can be viewed on Council’s Can I Swim Webpage.

You can help prevent blockages like these by putting wet-wipes in your red-topped landfill bin and not washing food fat/grease down the sink. Instead, please cool the fat and wrap it in newspaper, then pop it in your food scraps bin.

We are investing $248m over 10 years to fix the district’s plumbing.