Council pinged for poo puddle

Taupo District Council has been prosecuted for dumping a "puddle of poo" near a playground in Mangakino.

About 30 residents were told at a meeting in the community last night sewage was dumped at the Mangakino Bowling Club pit on September 3, 2008.

Taupo District Council pleaded guilty to the charges laid by Environment Waikato in Tokoroa District Court and will be sentenced later this month.

The judge ordered the councils to hold the restorative justice meeting to work out how the suggested $27,000 fine could be put back into the Mangakino community.

Environment Waikato manager investigations and complaints Patrick Lynch said the sewage pit was near a playground, unfenced, with no signs and was "at such a drop there was a drowning risk".

EW's investigations found there had been a number of discharges over a long period of time in pits at the bowling club, golf club and Rimu St and the drying beds had been regularly used in 2008 for depositing the sludge. The bowling club site and drying beds have since been cleaned up.

Resident Peter Billing said the council's actions were unsafe and the large pit by the Mangakino Bowling Club should have at least been fenced.

"If you create a puddle of poo in the ground that's not meant to be there you put a fence around it," he said.

Taupo District Council Special projects manager Dave Inwood apologised saying the excess sludge was caused due to the council's sewage treatment plant being overloaded with rain water.

Steps had been taken to fix the problem. Residents wanted proceeds of the fine spent on improving the town's stormwater and irrigation systems or setting up a community garden.

- © Fairfax NZ News