A new district-wide education campaign is being rolled out to encourage people to do the right thing when it comes to flushing foreign objects into the wastewater system.
The 'We're all guardians of our Great Lake' campaign will feature radio, print and billboard advertising to get the message out and is being run in conjunction with an extensive preventative wastewater pipe maintenance programme that began earlier in the year. So far there have been 62.5 kilometres of pipes surveyed and 1470 manholes checked and cleaned, which accounts for approximately 35 per cent of the number we have in the Taupo/Acacia Bay area. More than 295 of the manholes checked had to be raised to the surface as over time many had been buried or built over. Another 735 will require some follow-up work.
Head of communications and customer services Lisa Nairne says the new education campaign aims to let the community know how important their help is in avoiding wastewater blockages.
"The work we're doing on our wastewater system is only part of our commitment to making sure we don't have blockages and spills. We really need our community to play their part by doing the right thing when it comes to flushing things down the toilet, particularly wet wipes and fat. The message is simple - if it's not paper, pee or poo, don't put it down the loo!"
