Toilet block fix July 2019

After months of problems with overflowing toilets at Hank Edwards Reserve, today the fix. Contractors are digging out the clogged up dispersal field and replacing it with fresh fill, fresh pipes and a breathable plastic that allows moisture to evaporate out while keeping sand and other debris from falling in.

Some in the community may know when the toilet block was built (let us know in a comment), but it seems it’s around 50 years old.

A digger cleans out the dispersal field.
A digger cleans out the dispersal field. Excavated material, being hazardous waste, is being trucked away to Levin for disposal.

The dispersal field has naturally accumulated ‘grunge’ and has clogged up.

It may be that the 50-year old dispersal field techniques just don’t work any more, or it may be the dynamic conditions here: next to the river, occasional flooding, a variable water table, greater use over summer and less over winter, the iron in the bore water. Probably all have worked together and now it’s just time for maintenance and repair.

Fresh pipes for the dispersal field.
Fresh pipes for the dispersal field.

Fortunately such maintenance can be done without needing lengthy and expensive resource consents, and winter is a good time to do it.

The contractors should be able to complete their work today. They’ll aim to leave the Reserve in as good condition as they can, but the nature of the work means some damage to the grounds. There may be further ground repair to come.

Much of the excavated material will be trucked away as hazardous waste.
Much of the excavated material will be trucked away as hazardous waste.

One thought on “Toilet block fix July 2019”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Waikawa Beach or Manakau

New Zealand

Other