Ahipara’s oxidation ponds succumb to holidays and heat

smells have alerted the Far North District Council to a problem with the Ahipara sewage treatment oxidation ponds.


Increased loads associated with a seasonal influx of holidaymakers have taken their toll on the ponds’ dissolved oxygen levels, effectively causing them to collapse under the strain.


The council has responded by chemically dosing the ponds and bringing in additional aerators to oxygenate and restore life to them.


Water, Wastewater and Refuse Manager Peter Johnson says five aerators will be at the ponds for about a week and the odours should start to disappear gradually from today.


“This will depend on the weather. The longer it stays hot and relatively still, the longer it will take to get rid of them, but certainly they should be gone by the end of a week,” he said.


“It’s not unusual for oxidation ponds to malfunction during summer, particularly in holiday areas where sudden population increases combine with the heat to cause a breakdown in natural processes,” he added


“There is little we can to prevent the occurrence; we can only sympathise with those people who are most affected and work as fast as we can to get rid of the smell.”