YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER |February 2019 | No.201
THE COATESVILLE CHRONICLE Email coatesvillechronicle@gmail.com | ph 021 724 001 | online coatesvillechronicle.com
Wastewater system upgraded at Coatesville school
Coatesville School principal Richard Johnson and Board of Trustees member Karl Sentch at the new drip field site.
A
new wastewater system has been installed at Coatesville School in time for the start of term one. And although the school's plumbing won't have been on the students' minds over the holidays, the upgrade is a significant improvement for the school and the wider community. The new $90,000 Eloy wastewater system was installed by Water Projects and Heinz Pipe Systems and replaced an old-fashioned septic tank that was decades old and struggling to cope. Principal Richard Johnson says during the winter the school sent samples of the surface water from the field to be tested by Watercare and the results were conclusive. "The samples came back showing bacteria levels were too high in the surface water and it was time to install a new system so our Board of
0272 984 000
Trustees approached the Ministry of Education who funded the upgrade through their Properties budget," says Richard. Fortunately, BoT member in charge of property, Karl Sentch, is also general manager of Ecoflow wastewater systems and knew how to tackle the task, so generously volunteered to manage the project. "We are very grateful to Karl," says Richard. "His skills and knowledge have been invaluable to us. Without him it would have cost vastly more." Before making a decision on which system to choose, an independent engineer evaluated the options available. The criteria included the quality of effluent discharged; cost; track record and history, as well as compliance with the required standards. "The engineer recommended the Eloy system and I agreed," says
PROUDLY SPONSORS THE COATESVILLE CHRONICLE
Karl. "It's low maintenance, large enough to handle our growing school population, is installed in a number of schools around the world and can handle being shut down for periods of time like during the holidays. The effluent discharged passes through a UV filter and is actually clean enough to drink," he says. The heavy lifting may be done but there's still some work needed before the school is back to normal. "We're probably still six to eight weeks away from being finished," says Karl. Working bees are planned for early in term one to plant, mulch and landscape the affected areas. The next phase on the BoT's wastewater to-do list will be to readdress the storm water drainage on the school field so in future it can remain in use all year. The Coatesville School Board of Trustees wishes to thank Matt Ellingham for arranging free topsoil for the field and Water Projects Ltd.
FEBRUARY CONTENTS Editorial February news Climate change and the garden Green Rd update Yeehaa! Cowboy Challenge Once bitten... Campervan trip CRRA news Classifieds Bring on 2019!
2 3 5 5 6 8 9 10 11 12