Waikato District Council was notified at 7.40am this morning by a member of the public of a failure in the treated wastewater (effluent) outfall pipe at the point where it exits the sand dunes into Raglan Harbour.

Watercare responded promptly and identified the failure at a bend in the pipe. As seen in photographs, the treated discharge has eroded the surrounding sand dune back to the point where the remaining pipe is exposed.

It is currently unclear exactly when the failure occurred, but the last known discharge was during the outgoing tide last night. All discharge flows have now been paused while the repair is undertaken.

Watercare has arranged for a contractor to excavate the site and complete the necessary repairs. The area is being fenced off to restrict public access during this work. Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the day (Friday 30 May). No further treated effluent will be discharged until the repair is complete and the tide is again on the outgoing cycle.

Council has notified key stakeholders including Waikato Regional Council, mana whenua and the local community.

We will provide updates as needed and once the repair is fully completed. Until then, we ask the public to avoid the area.

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