Tapu toilets to close

Environmental and health hazards are behind a Thames-Coromandel District Council decision to temporarily close the public toilets at Tapu.

“Despite our best endeavours to keep it operating, the sewerage disposal system has finally stopped working altogether causing health hazard and environmental risk concerns,” says TCDC Operations Manager Greg Hampton.

“With the effluent field not functioning we have had to empty the septic tank weekly to prevent overflows and we can no longer live with that risk and ongoing cost,” he said. The Council had intended refurbishing or replacing these toilets in the 2009/10 financial year in line with the toilet replacement programme and the preparatory work is now being fast-tracked.

A range of solutions being investigated include installing a new effluent disposal system and refurbishing the toilet block in its current location, or building a new toilet and disposal system in a new location on the same reserve.

The nearest public toilets are Waiomu to the south or Waikawau to the north. “Appropriate signage will be installed on site to indicate this and we’re also investigating placement of portable toilets adjacent to the toilet block at peak times,” says Mr Hampton.

He says it will take some time to engineer the system, obtain consents and consult if required but physical works are expected to take place between July and December this year.