Appendix 7: Morrinsville Sewage Treatment Plant Designation

1. Purpose of Conservation Measures
   
   The purpose of the conservation measures is to provide a Code of Practice for works to accommodate designated activities, carried out on land within or adjoining the Kaitiaki (Conservation) Zone. In particular, the protection measures relate to works carried out to accommodate the discharge of treated wastewater to the Totara Gully Stream.
   
   The Code of Practice is intended to regulate the manner in which works in the Totara Gully Stream are carried out, to provide a guaranteed level of protection for the special ecological features which are protected by the Kaitiaki (Conservation) Zoning.

 

2. Code of Practice to be Observed
   
   The Code of Practice forming part of this document shall be observed and complied with in all respects, when works are carried out in the Protected Area described in the Schedule here (“The Protected Area”), for the purpose of facilitating or accommodating activities under the designation. This includes works to accommodate the discharge of treated wastewater to the Totara Gully Stream.

 

3. Consultation with Property Owner and Queen Elizabeth II Trust
   
   Whenever the body having responsibility for the designated work intends to carry out any works in the Protected Area, reasonable notice of the proposal shall be given in writing to the owners and occupiers of the land on which the works are to be carried out, and to the Queen Elizabeth II Trust, explaining the nature and timing of the proposed works, and the methods by which the Code of Practice will be complied with.
   
   The submissions and requests of the property owners, occupiers and Queen Elizabeth II Trust shall be considered before a final decision is made regarding implementation of the proposed works.

Description of Totara Gully Stream locality (“the Protected Area”)

All those parts of the land designated for the Morrinsville Sewage Treatment Plant and Buffer (Designation Number 18), which are shown on the District Planning Maps as zoned “Kaitiaki (Conservation)” or as adjoining land zoned “Kaitiaki (Conservation)”, at the time of the District Plan becoming operative.

1. Materials Stockpiles
   
   Materials stockpiles shall be kept to an absolute minimum practical area and shall be established and kept in Council land outside of the Protected Area. All stockpile areas shall be approved by the Council’s Engineer prior to establishment. Stockpiles shall be constructed so as to prevent run-off due to rainfall.
   
   Excavated material which cannot be used for backfilling shall be removed from site, to dump, on a daily basis.

 

2. Plant Standing
   
   Plant shall be parked at night, weekends and holidays on Council land outside of the Protected Area. Plant and equipment taken onto the Protected Area shall be restricted to that required for works being carried out in the Protected Area. No fuel or lubricants shall be stored or transferred on the Protected Area.

 

3. Rubbish
   
   The person carrying out the works (“the Operator”) shall provide, and regularly empty, rubbish drums at the site. The Operator shall ensure, on a daily basis, that no rubbish is left lying around the property.

 

4. Photographs
   
   A video or photographs covering the entire area of the work site shall be taken by the Operator prior to commencing work on site. These shall serve as a record of the existing condition of the site prior to work commencing.

 

5. Stock Management
   
   To facilitate stock management, the Operator shall provide an accurate programme detailing the period during which work will be carried out. If it is not possible to exclude stock from the paddock while works are being carried out, the Operator will, if requested, erect a single wire temporary electric fence around the construction area and shall ensure that all stock are kept out of the stream and its banks.

 

6. Management
   
   Construction activities in the stream for installation of the culverts and gabion structures will generate a silt loading on the stream. Coffer dams or silt traps shall be not used in the stream to control this. Straw or hay bales shall be placed in the stream downstream of, and as close as practically possible to the structure without causing nuisance flooding. The purpose of the bales will be to filter as much silt as possible from the water before allowing it to pass further downstream and into the Piako River.

 

7. Protection of Totara Grove
   
   The Protected Area contains a grove of mixed age totara trees known as Totara Grove. Particular care shall be taken to protect all totara trees within that grove. During any period of work in the Protected Area, the Totara Grove and a margin of five metres from the outer row of tree trunks shall be taped off as an exclusion zone into which construction operations shall not go, except via access corridors to the stream by a route chosen to provide greatest protection for the trees.
   
   Trucks and heavy plant will not be permitted at all within the Totara Grove.

 

8. Fence Management
   
   Whenever possible, fences shall be lowered at strainer posts, rather than being cut, in order to gain access to the stream or banks. If that is not practically possible in any case, cut fences shall be rolled back only sufficiently to provide safe access to the stream. Uncut sections shall be maintained sufficiently strained to exclude animals. All fences shall be reinstated and restrained to original condition immediately following the completion of each section of work.

 

9. Gabion Weirs
   
   It is preferable for excavation work for Gabion Weirs to be carried out by hand. However, an excavator of up to a maximum of 2 tonnes weight may be employed, e.g. Hitachi PC 0.5 or PC 10 (1.2 and 2.0 tonnes respectively).
   
   Excavated material unsuitable for or not required for use as backfill shall be removed to dump. This may be via a skip winched from the top of the gully or a small ATV dumper such as the Komatsu HD20 8 wheeler.
   
   Rocks should be taken into the gully via a metal chute of corrugated iron or ½ x 200l steel drums. Rocks are to be hand placed in the baskets.
   
   The required access points shall be inspected by the Engineer’s Representative and Operator’s Job Manager prior to access being required. The extent of access shall be agreed, with the landowner, together with agreement on which vegetation cannot avoid damage. That which is likely to be damaged shall be marked in orange “day glow” paint. It does not follow that all vegetation marked may be damaged or destroyed. Reasonable care must still be taken to minimise damage.

 

10. Culverts
    
    Excavation for removal of old culverts and construction of the new shall be carried out to the minimum required for safe working and ensuring that suitable materials are incorporated in the final embankments. After construction, the new embankments shall be topsoiled and grassed.

 

11. Large Kahikatea Tree
    
    This tree is situated approximately 5m downstream of the lowest gabion weir on the stream. At this point the stream is essentially at river level and, over significant periods of the year, there is a backwater effect from the river. The tree is situated on the small flood plain immediately above the main channel. The roots of the tree are in the permanently saturated zone in which Kahikateas flourish. Feeding roots are longitudinal on the flood plain while structural roots will be in all aspects.
    
    It is recommended that no special measures will be taken initially to artificially protect the tree. Flows in the stream will be no more than the tree experiences during storm flows. A short length of structural root in the stream aspect may become exposed if there is any stream deepening due to the higher flows but this is not regarded as dangerous to the tree. If a dangerous scour does begin to develop, effluent flow to the stream can be diverted to the maturation pond whilst a permanent solution is put in place.

 

12. Inundated Areas
    
    In areas where the water level is to be raised, species which are likely to survive transplanting shall be transplanted out to higher or more appropriate ground. Pongas shall be removed by cutting off all branches except fresh, coiled fronds, the plant can then be dug out of the ground including as much root system as possible and replanted at the desired site, preferably in a similar shade condition and with plenty of trunk support. Ferns shall be moved by scooping them off the ground carefully together with about 200mm of topsoil remaining undisturbed.
    
    They are then placed back down in a prepared recess in the ground in a damp shaded area. Kanukas cannot be moved.
    
    Disturbance to existing plant and animal life in the Protected Area shall be kept to a practical minimum during and as a result of works associated with the designation. Reinstatement and rehabilitation works shall be carried out following any construction works, to minimise the longer term effect on habitat and on the appearance of the Protected Area.