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https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-beaches-wellingtons-catastrophic-sewage-spill-could-be-bad-news-for-coastal-ecosystems-276013>
"Public concern over the total failure of the Moa Point wastewater treatment
plant on Wellington’s south coast has been growing, despite this week’s
announcement of an independent review.
When the plant failed on February 4, sewage backed up in the main outfall
pipeline and flooded the lower floors of the facility. For two days, raw sewage
was released from an outfall only five metres from shore at one of the capital
city’s most popular kaimoana (seafood) gathering sites.
Discharge was then redirected to a long outfall, which continues to release
untreated sewage about a kilometres from the Taputeranga Marine Reserve and
within hundreds of metres of ecologically important giant kelp forests.
Nearly one billion litres of untreated sewage have since flowed onto the coast.
The discharge continues at roughly 70 million litres per day. Public health
warnings have rightly focused on contaminated beaches and risks to swimmers,
surfers and shellfish gatherers.
But the potential consequences extend well beyond beach closures.
Untreated sewage contains elevated nitrogen and phosphorus, organic matter,
bacteria, pathogens, microplastics and fine suspended sediments. Released in
large volumes, this mixture delivers multiple stressors simultaneously to
coastal ecosystems."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
