6 Jul 2010

Torrential rain fills dam but spills sewage

6:16 pm on 6 July 2010

Torrential rain in Northland has filled Whangarei's main water reservoir for the first time in eight months.

Between Sunday and Monday the level of the Whau Valley dam - which sank to a 16-year low of 44% in early May after months of drought - rose from 81% full to 100% full.

On the downside, the rain has caused yet another sewage spill in Whangarei Harbour.

The Whangarei District Council's newly-enlarged Okara pump station handled the downpour without any overflows - but the Hatea pump station once again spilled polluted stormwater into the river.

The council says the Hatea station is next on the list for improvements but in the meantime the harbour is unsafe for shellfish-gathering for a month.