Stormwater separator to be installed at Hawai Reserve
An upgrade to the stormwater system near Two Mile Bay will get underway this week, with the aim of improving the quality of stormwater discharges to the lake.
The work includes installing a separator in the existing stormwater line at Hawai Reserve, which will help to remove pollutants from stormwater. It will be the sixth to be installed across the district, in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of the district’s stormwater network.
Asset manager solid waste/stormwater Brent Aitken said the Hawai Reserve is the first of three Downstream Defenders scheduled for installation in the next four months, with Turanga Place in Turangi and the Two Mile Bay boat ramp also to be upgraded.
“This defender will be installed in the existing stormwater line and once completed will be virtually invisible, having nothing projecting above ground and taking up space in the reserve,” he said.
“We are focussing on installing the defenders in the larger catchments as these have the highest levels of pollutants. We empty our existing defenders every four months, with each one taking between one and 1.5 tonnes of pollutants – floating litter, oils, sediments – out of the stormwater and stopping it from reaching the lake. So this is having a really measurable effect on water quality and is an important part of our focus on improving water quality.”
The work is expected to be completed by mid-February.