The preventative maintenance project being undertaken by Taupo District Council following several wastewater spills is making good progress.
More than 545 sewer pipes in Acacia Bay and Taupo have been inspected and 37 manholes have been cleared. Work will be carried out on another 12 in the coming weeks.
Operations Manager Three Waters Kevin Sears says 31 manholes have also had remedial work carried out to make them more accessible in the long-term.
"Manholes need to be accessible and if they have been buried then we need to raise them to the surface to provide quick and easy access for emergencies and to make maintenance easier.
"In addition to this, the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tools we are using have identified a number of sewer mains that require work. We have now cleaned 86 of these - removing eight tonnes of material in the process - and will be undertaking further investigations of another 91."
"What we are finding is confirming that the main culprit is the combination of fats, wet wipes and tree roots, so we want to re-emphasise that people have to be mindful of what they flush. Wet wipes and other sanitary items need to be disposed of in your refuse collection, and fats can also be disposed of in your refuse after wrapping in newspaper. If it's not pee, paper or poo, don't put it down the loo."
Mr Sears says the preventative maintenance project will be continuing over the next few years, with more than $395,000 budgeted for it this year alone.
